


Sweet and Sour

by gennsis



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-02-12 10:53:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12957669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gennsis/pseuds/gennsis
Summary: Satsuki's male underlings- er, friends, are stupid. But then again, so is she.





	1. Strength in Fragility (kuromomo)

A/N: Hello readers! Sweet and Sour is basically a one-shot collection of SatsukixGoM. Some may be romantic, others more platonic depending on the context. Most will probably be platonic though. Genres will vary, but most will be fluffy sweetness (though some, like this story here, will leave a sweet and sour taste behind lol).

I accept requests! In fact I highly encourage them lol. I'll mostly write based on whatever ideas I have inspiration for, though ; u ;

* * *

**1\. Strength in Fragility [slight angst, coming-of-age, one!sided kuromomo, set after the 111-11 match]**

_The law of the universe dictates that change is a constant and the constant is ever changing. And try as you may, you can't defy the law. You can only accept it and change with the change._

_At least, that's what experience tells her._

* * *

Spring is the season for hope, rebirth, sakura blossoms and love.

It also signifies change.

But Satsuki liked to ignore the latter in favour of the former.

* * *

"Tetsu-kun!"

It had been a while since that day of 1s. Many things changed, such as the lack of Ki-chan's laughter, Dai-chan's smelly shirt, Muk-kun's mountains of snacks and the sudden apparent apathy of their captain. Still, many things stayed the same, such as Midorin's unyielding passion for shooting (and indifference to the current predicament) as well as Tetsu-kun.

Tetsu-kun remained the same, didn't he?

She had pounced on him like she did any other day, as a reminder to her that in this world, constants exist too. However, there was no reassuring warmth; only foreign coldness replaced its stead. There was no more 'Momoi-san, I can't breathe…' or even 'Sorry, but please get off, Momoi-san'. Tetsu-kun only stood still, an emotionless doll whose mind was far off in the distance.

He had murmured then, "I hate basketball." His tone was monotonous as ever, but there was a biting edge to his voice.

He was trembling.

That was when Satsuki realised.

_Ah, even Tetsu-kun changes too._

Yet, she couldn't blame him because to survive, one can only change with the change or risk being destroyed entirely.

She pat Tetsu-kun's shoulder softly. There was nothing she could say, even when she felt something wet stain her uniform. Her brain scanned through the mass statistics stored inside, searching for a solution. Statistics helped her analyse and understand players of all kinds. They gave her stability in this rapidly changing world. But no amount of information she recalled could allow her to tell him 'it's okay; they'll be back'. Information allowed prediction of the future, not restoration of the past.

Her fingers quivered slightly. Her friends were breaking down, yet she could do nothing to help. How useless was she?

For once, she wished to be the change instead of letting change run its course.

* * *

She was walking home alone. The streets were the same, yet they weren't. Not without a couple of friends.

This time round, the cherry blossoms had bloomed with petals scattering about, a haven in the midst of the troubled city.

Satsuki sucked in a breath.

She had never liked cherry blossoms.

Sure, she liked flowers, cherries and pink, but not together. When you have too many of the beautiful things, all that is too good to be true.

At least, that's what experience tells her.

And she knew she was right every time summer came near the corner and the cherry blossoms withered away, their traces of beauty disappearing as soon as they came.

So the sight of these cherry blossoms didn't exactly comfort her; instead, seeds of worry were planted into her heart. Every beautiful thing would fade with time, including their happiness, passion and love. Was there any way to rewind back to the past, when all of them were just smiling together?

In a distance, she thought she could hear laughter. She thought she could hear Midorin's gruff voice. She thought she could hear Muk-kun's chewing noises as he stuffed his face into snacks. She thought she could hear Ki-chan jumping on Tetsu-kun again. She thought she could hear a loud 'whack', probably coming from Dai-chan who hit Ki-chan for being stupid. And even if Akashi-kun was rarely with them, she thought she could sense his silent and intimidating presence as he flipped through one of his mind-boggling books.

She thought she could see Tetsu-kun smile again.

But this time, she was alone on the crossroads—the point where they had once converged, and now diverged.

She could only stifle muffled sobs, as she walked back home, alone.

* * *

Graduation had ended, and nothing had changed. Ironically, Satsuki wanted the change to change—back to normal. When Akashi-kun had called the members of the Generation of Miracles back to the basketball court, she thought that might happen, as impossible as it seemed. But then Dai-chan had told her later that they were making some stupid oath about becoming the best.

Satsuki had stomped her feet, yelling, "Aomine-kun, you idiot!" Then, she stalked off, sulking, but also glancing back. There was no navy-haired figure chasing after her. He was probably done with all her nonsense.

She redirected her attention to her surroundings. There was faint giggling, chattering and hushed goodbyes. Wind whizzed past her, rustling leaves and bringing away forgotten memories.

She was alone.

…She had to find Tetsu-kun.

There was a flurry of steps. She went to the basketball court, the gymnasium, the library, but there was no boy with a presence as thin as a ghost and hair reminiscent of a sky blue. The sun was setting, its golden rays scorching the horizon, light soon fading into darkness.

Swallowing the lump that had formed on her throat, she turned back. After middle school, she was going to Too Academy, following Dai-chan, her stupid childhood friend whom she just couldn't take her eyes off. This means she couldn't see Tetsu-kun again… at least for a very long time.

Of course, she wanted to join him in Seirin. She couldn't leave him the way he had been the last time she saw him. But Tetsu-kun had always been able to carve out his own path himself; Dai-chan, on the other hand, was a hopelessly self-indulgent prick who needed her more than Tetsu-kun did. Needless to say, it didn't take long for her to decide who she was going to follow.

Because Tetsu-kun would be all right by himself. She just knew.

In the end, she headed home alone.

* * *

_Thud!_

There was the sound of basketball against ground. Her pace slowed as she glanced at the basketball court near her.

Tetsu-kun was there playing basketball.

He hadn't changed after all, had he?

"Tetsu-kun," she whispered.

He had stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the pink-haired girl. His lips curled into a tiny smile, something which she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Momoi-san," he acknowledged.

And then, he had told her about his plans to continue basketball, and his plans to eventually defeat the Generation of Miracles. Her pink irises had widened with delight.

Immediately, she replied, "I support you, Tetsu-kun! Don't give up... You look the happiest when you're playing basketball."

He said nothing, but she saw how his eyes glimmered under the fading light.

A miracle didn't exactly happen, but half of it happened all the same. Tetsu-kun was back again. He hadn't changed after all.

Satsuki smiled. She knew. As unpredictable as Tetsu-kun was, she knew he would not change. Because he always had unwavering passion for everything he did, and an earnest love for his teammates…

Perhaps he wasn't conventionally strong like their other five past teammates were, but he was strong at heart. And that was why Satsuki liked him.

With that, Satsuki also gained hope, and in addition to that, faith. She might not be able to defy the law of the universe, but there was something she could do. Why change with the change, if she could  _change_  the change?

Her mind was set on one thing: Let Dai-chan rediscover his love for basketball again.

* * *

Spring had arrived again, and nothing had changed. She had tried forcing Dai-chan to go practice, usually by bribing him with snacks and Horikita Mai magazines. However, after seeing the listless expression of her childhood friend even in practice, she gave up. Manipulation was not the solution to dulled passion.

After that, she was pretty much at the end of her wits, and she could only give in to the demon of power that had corrupted her friend. Nonetheless, he was still Dai-chan—her precious childhood friend. She could never abandon him.

She had met up with Tetsu-kun, and he told her about stories of Seirin. He had found a new light named Kagami Taiga. Together with their Seirin members, they might be able to beat the Generation of Miracles. Yet, Satsuki was dubious. Will teamwork really beat talent? It was a romantic idea, but an unrealistic one.

She shook her head. What was wrong with her? The past Satsuki would never think like this…

' _The past Satsuki'._  Ah, she was changing too. She had gotten Dai-chan's germs.

She shook her head the second time, this time with more strength. No. She wasn't going to change. Even if Dai-chan continued to call her childish, stupid, naggy, and even if Tetsu-kun decided to leave her behind, she was going to remain the only constant in this universe and keep the hope inside her alight.  _A special snowflake._  That would be the title bestowed on her.

She laughed. Sometimes, she really sucked at cheering herself up.

A cherry blossom petal fell onto her shoulder. Satsuki clutched it, faintly remembering Tetsu-kun's warmth.

* * *

The next spring, she was still alone. Tetsu-kun and his light had lost. They had despaired, naturally, but she knew they were still working hard, aiming to achieve their goal one day. After seeing such determination, she couldn't bear to mope around anymore. Tetsu-kun was moving on, and she had to learn to move forward too, in any way she could.

As she walked past a familiar crossroad, she stared at the squashed cherry blossoms on the floor. They had been stepped on and crumpled, yet they still glimmered amidst the light.

* * *

"Tetsu-kun!"

"Momoi-san, I can't breathe…"

They had won. She knew they could, eventually. Despite countless of failures, Tetsu-kun's resolve had never fazed. That was why she liked him so much. Even if he seemed like the shadow most of the time, he was actually their hidden light—the light that allowed the Generation of Miracles to shine again. He changed the change.

As she saw the radiant smile on Tetsu-kun's face, she beamed along. Her heart had fluttered as it always did when she was around him.

* * *

Many had found her crush for Kuroko Tetsuya unbelievable. Some even thought it was just a popular girl's mere fascination towards the mysterious. Truthfully speaking, she didn't know if her feelings for Tetsu-kun was actual love. Love was still too much of an abstract concept to her, like a treacherous territory meant to be unexplored. Even so, she believed her feelings didn't run shallow. She saw the light inside Tetsu-kun. She saw his love. She saw his doubts. She saw how he persevered through them anyway.

That was why she liked Kuroko Tetsuya.

Although she craved for some sort of change in their relationship, change had terrified her at the same time. She knew Tetsu-kun didn't like her in 'that' way. She knew right now, and maybe even in the future, his attention would always be fixated on basketball and his team. Still, she liked him that way—the way he originally was.

Therefore, she was just contented with pouncing on him, yelling 'Tetsu-kun!' and holding him close to her, the warmth seeping into her like a vaccine.

This was, at least, one constant she wanted to keep in this world.

* * *

The next spring, she wasn't alone. Not anymore.

* * *

A/N: We all know that Satsuki initially took notice of Tetsuya because he gave her a popsicle. We all know that Satsuki loves unpredictability. But what about after that?

Maybe I'm just overcomplicating things like I always tend to do, but this is my personal view on Satsuki. There is something more to her besides being bubbly, cheerful and pretty. Other than Tetsuya, she's the only person who is evidently distraught after the separation of the GoM. She has also always tried to bring them together. And I think the reason why her affection for Tetsuya grew is because other than having an unpredictable playing style, he's also predictable in the things that matter to Satsuki—one being friendship. Well, maybe it's also because he's so good at comforting girls LOL, but we'll leave that for another story.

The 'cherry blossoms' part, however, is just my own interpretation. I always thought it is ironic how there were cherry blossoms when Satsuki and Tetsuya walked back home together the second time.

Hope you guys enjoyed this story! The next stories won't be so depressing... I hope xD


	2. Pinkified

A/N:

I've already received a lot of inspiration for this one-shot collection somehow... I just need to develop all my ideas into proper stories _ Anyway, here's a fluffier one-shot of Midomomo. The plot isn't terribly original but I like how it turned out anyway. Hope you guys do too!

* * *

**2\. Pinkified [fluff, tsundere!midorima, midomomo, takes place in Teiko middle school days before the 111-11 match]**

_One day, Oha Asa horoscope said that the lucky colour for Cancers that day would be pink._

_That spells trouble for a certain pink-haired girl._

* * *

Momoi Satsuki sensed something amiss as she was walking home from school. Another pair of footsteps echoed at the same pace as hers did and stopped every time hers ceased. Yet, when she turned back, there was no one there. Or so, she thought, until she saw a few strands of green hair peeking out from the back of a pillar.

_As great as Midorin is at shooting, he really isn't good at stalking…_

With a soft sigh, she confronted the hidden stalker, "Why are you following me, Midorin?"

Midorima usually didn't talk to her much. The only times he ever did were to borrow (or steal, though he would never admit that) his lucky items from her, or notes for 'research purposes'. Hence, she concluded that this stalking fiasco was another scheme of his to get something from her  _again_.

The green-haired guy cleared his throat, coming out from his hiding place as he stated with a nonchalant voice, "I'm not following you, Momoi. I'm merely walking the same path."

"Oh, really?" she raised her eyebrows while asking again. Even if Midorima appeared all calm on the surface, she noticed how he adjusted his glasses, a habit he had when lying.

_Midorin is so predictable._

A sly smile surfacing on her face, she turned back to her front, continuing to walk ahead. As expected, a pair of footsteps followed suit.

Suddenly, she stopped and took out her phone. The footsteps also stopped.

"Oh, hello mom?" she raised her phone up her ear, calling out to no one in particular.

She could hear Midorima's voice in a distance, "Yes, mother…"

She turned off her phone with a 'click'. Midorima's phone followed suit.

She quickened her steps. As expected, a pair of footsteps relentlessly followed behind.

Eventually, the girl's hope of budging free from Midorima's pursuit was tarnished. She sulked. Seeing how stubborn Midorima was, he would never give up until she gave him whatever he needed from her.

Resigning to her fate, she asked, "Midorin, what's your lucky item today?"

In an instant, Midorima's eyes sparkled as he said, "Today, my lucky item is a pink-haired doll." He waved the Barbie doll in his hand. The doll was clad with a magenta pink princess dress with frills. The doll's curls were also a gorgeous shade of magenta, which complemented the shimmering pink of her irises. Even as a lover of pink, Momoi thought that the blinding colours of magenta were too much for her poor eyes to handle.

Besides that, the doll was a really strange contrast with the stoic Midorima. It took all the effort inside her to stop herself from laughing. She averted her eyes, not wanting to look at the pink mess any longer.

"...Oh, okay. But you already have a doll, don't you? What do you need from me?" Momoi questioned again.

Not seeming to be aware that his motives had already been exposed, Midorima immediately confessed, "Unfortunately, Oha Asa has specified that the shade of pink must be Baker-Miller pink, and I'm unable to find a doll with such a specific shade. Therefore, I need your help, Momoi…"

"Yes?" she asked. Baker-Miller pink... Why was there such a complicated name for a shade of pink?

Why was the Oha Asa horoscope being so specific for no reason, anyway?

In her head, she silently cursed that horoscope television program for landing her in such a predicament.

"I am planning to go to the library. I will need you to follow me until I finish my studies. I believe this is a good thing for both you and me since we can both study at the same time," he commanded with authority that could even rival Akashi's.

_Normally, Midorin wouldn't be so blunt, but he must be really desperate now, huh?_

… _Still, that doesn't mean I have to put up with his whims all the time! And there's a really good show today too!_

Momoi pouted. Her classmates had always remarked about how she didn't have any other entertainment outside of basketball programs, and so, they had recommended her many shows to watch. Due to this, she had finally gotten into a romantic drama called Hana Kimi, and had really anticipated for the final episode which would air on that day itself.

For once, she was going to have time outside of studies, basketball practice and stinky boys. There was no way she was going to let Midorima take up her leisure time now!

"What? Why must I always deal with this, Midorin?" she protested, her imagination drifting away to possible romantic scenarios between Sano and Mizuki. She wasn't going to miss that absolutely juicy finale.  _She wasn't._

"Exams are near. I need all the luck I can get," he simply stated, later muttering to himself, "I have to beat Akashi this time…" His eyes were burning with such fervent fire that it was hard not to be affected.

Momoi sighed. It wasn't the first and probably not the last time that Midorima would ask her for a favour like this. Other than his obsession with horoscopes, he was also strangely obsessed with beating Akashi, despite the slim possibility- no,  _impossibility_. And so, she concluded that he was a person easily obsessed and persistent with things. Even if she refused, he would probably follow her home and she wouldn't be able to fully immerse herself in the show.

Worse still, her childhood friend,  _Dai-chan_ , would most certainly be at home waiting for her. Recently, he had been pestering her to tutor him since Akashi had threatened- er, told him that he would have to drop out of the competition if his grades weren't in check. Of course, Aomine didn't care until a few weeks before the exams, probably thinking that Momoi's guidance could carry his grades. That also meant that Momoi had to handle his senseless questions and tantrums while coping with her own revision, which she already had enough of after a week.

In comparison, spending time with Midorima in the library alone almost seemed like an appealing idea. She could always watch Hana Kimi online anyway.

_Hana Kimi's finale is a goner, but at least, I'm Dai-chan-free for a day! Yipee!_

To add fuel to the fire, she recalled how Aomine had used her money to buy his Horikita Mai magazines yesterday. As she clenched her fists, her resolve to watch the finale of Hana Kimi had faded; instead, there was a refound vigour inside her to let her childhood friend have a taste of his own medicine.

She wasn't going to be there when he needed her, not anymore.

"You're impossible… Fine. I'll do you a favour. You owe me this one, Midorin," she intentionally said. Midorima had always stooped to great lengths for his lucky items. That passion had always astounded her, but it was also a very exploitable fact.

She smirked. Somehow, she had become more devious as she spent more time with the Generation of Miracles.

_Well, I can't let these guys take advantage of me all the time, can I?_

"Thank you, Momoi," he said calmly, but the glimmer of his eyes had said it all.

Momoi sighed again.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

As Momoi continued to daydream about Hana Kimi's finale, an idea suddenly struck her like a lightning bolt.

With a teasing smile, she asked the man beside her, "So Midorin, must your future girlfriend be compatible with you horoscope-wise?"

Midorima stopped, and Momoi followed suit. He was fidgeting with his Barbie doll, though he continued to maintain his cool facade.

He said, albeit with a small stutter, "D-Do not ask such a ridiculous thing, Momoi."

Unfortunately for him, Midorima's distress had only caused much delight for Momoi.

"But I'm curious! Hey, if you're gonna be so picky Midorin, you'll probably stay alone your whole life until your hair turns all white, you know," she made a cheeky comment, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"M-Mind your own business!" he yelled abruptly, stomping off with remarkable speed.

_Payback for earlier on, Midorin._

With such a thought in mind, Momoi skipped happily to catch up with the fading shadow of the green-haired student.

* * *

Thankfully, the library wasn't as packed as usual. They had settled down near a table, taking out their books, homework and notes. According to Midorima, this was because he had a lot of pink around him, which gave them immense luck. Momoi could only scoff.

The rest of the time was spent rather fruitfully. Except for Midorima's occasional clarification, she didn't experience any interruptions with her work. In fact, there were times when she had sought help from him instead, and he had patiently answered her questions. Maybe the study session with Midorima wasn't a bad idea after all.

"Thank you for your notes, Momoi," Midorima thanked her after they exited the library. Of course, he borrowed her notes again, but Momoi was feeling a bit more gracious to let it off after that extremely productive study time.

"No problem, Midorin. Maybe we should do this more often…" she suggested. Perhaps this was a chance to finally get closer to this otherwise hard-to-deal-with shooter. However, considering Midorima's personality, he would probably shoot her down. No pun intended.

And just like she predicted, Midorima only replied coldly, "I prefer not, unless fate says otherwise."

"How mean, Midorin! I thought we became closer!" she lamented.

"That's your own assumption, Momoi."

Despite his monotonous tone, Momoi could see a very faint smile budging the corners of his lips.

* * *

"Satsuki! Where have you been?"

Of course, freedom was short-lived. Momoi tensed, ready to face the wrath of an impatient Dai-chan.

* * *

A/N: Although Satsuki is really patient and generous to the guys most of the time, I believe she has this playful side to her... which is why I call the guys her underlings LOL. Kise, Murasakibara and Midorima are probably best underling materials. Aomine is a bit more troublesome (but all's well with Horikita Mai), while Kuroko would be difficult. Akashi, well... He'll probably make Momoi his underling instead (which he already did _ let's say if that'll change). I actually didn't watch Hana Kimi the drama version, but the manga is pretty funny. If you guys like shoujo romance, it's a nice manga to read (but beware, the heroine is incredibly dense and the plot itself is pretty cliche). I may have a sequel to this one-shot, since tsundere!Midorima and playful!Momoi are too adorable together haha. Do let me know of your thoughts! Next one up will be Akamomo, since I had a particularly funny idea. You'll see xP


	3. A Shocking Discovery (akamomo)

IMPORTANT! To understand this chapter, do watch Kuroko no Basket Season 3 NG Shuu Ep 7 if you haven't, if not this chapter will make no sense to you. There are English subs online (but the video is attached separately sadly). It's super funny and it's the reason why I created this chapter lol. If you can't find the English subs, here's a basic summary of the content: It's a collection of KnB bloopers, and there's a scene in this episode which features Akashi and Mayuzumi. Akashi was curious about what Mayuzumi was reading, and Mayuzumi told him it was a light novel. Akashi was like 'heh' and then he read the light novel with the speed of light (pun intended- I've been inspired by Izuki-senpai). After that, Akashi said that Ringo-tan (the girl in the light novel) is cute. Yes, cute. You didn't read it wrongly.

Maybe I was too excited but I was like laughing like crazy after he said that HAHA. Anyways, this chapter is basically about the reactions (or the lack of) towards this unexpected side of Akashi, featuring Satsuki and GoM. Have fun reading this :D

* * *

**3\. A Shocking Discovery [fluff, crack, humour, bokushi, akamomo ft gom, set after the high schools' first match in the Winter Cup]**

_"Curiosity killed the cat."_

* * *

Akashi Seijuro. This name strikes apprehension in most people's hearts, and at the same time, unwavering respect. To use an analogy, he's like the lion, the King of the jungle and the top of the food chains. Everyone can only obey him, because his orders are the absolute.

…Well, that's what most people think so. But after a  _certain_  incident, Momoi isn't so sure about that.

Because you see, after the high schools' first match in the Winter Cup, she saw him holding something suspicious.

Too had lost to Seirin then, and it came as a surprise to both the Too players and also to Momoi. Sure, she somewhat guessed that Seirin might be able to exceed Too, but the realisation of actually losing still hurt.

After the match, she had separated from the rest of the team and planned to head to the washroom to clean herself up. She had cried, her tears overflowing out of her like

"Akashi-kun?" she called out to him. It was normal to see Akashi reading a book, but this particular book was weird. There was a picture of an adorable young girl on the cover page. Her flowing bright pink locks and innocent blue eyes reminded Satsuki of those 'moe' characters she saw in anime. The text further concerned her thoughts.

'Life with the transfer student who's an android?!'

She sweat dropped. It wouldn't be so much of a surprise if any other teenage guy was holding this book, but the  _Akashi Seijuro_? That couldn't be right.

Maybe the one she was seeing wasn't Akashi Seijuro after all. Maybe it was… a double, or something. The thought was somewhat foolish, but Satsuki was more inclined to believe that.

She blinked. Red hair and red eyes. Check. Intimidating aura. Check.

…It was Akashi Seijuro after all.

"Satsuki," he acknowledged, finishing the book in a flash.

"Uh, if I may ask, what are you reading?" she asked, her curiosity piqued and her thoughts also going in a frenzy.

_Wait… Could it be that kind of book? N-No way! Akashi-kun isn't like Dai-chan! He's a prim and proper young man!_

… _But he's a boy, isn't he?_

The more her imagination went wild, the more she couldn't look Akashi in the eye. Instead, her eyes were burning holes in the book of his hands.

"It's a sequel to  _A Clockwork Apple, Honey, and a Little Sister_ ," he said as he handed the book to her. Immediately, Momoi flipped through the pages and her shoulders relaxed as soon as she saw that the contents in the book were safe for consumption.

_Of course, this is Akashi-kun we're talking about! No way is he reading weird things like Dai-chan!_

Still, it didn't seem like Akashi's style for him to read such a book. It wasn't bad per say, but it didn't contain philosophy, history or all the serious stuff Momoi could think of. Instead, it appeared more like an average cute story with a hint of adventure catered for normal teenagers.

"I-I see. What do you think of it then?" she asked.

"It's still cliché, but there's more of Ringo-tan this time round. And since she's cute, I believe that this makes the overall story a better one compared to the first," he stated matter-of-factly.

Momoi's eyes widened, this time with actual shock.

_Ringo-tan? Cute? Isn't that the girl inside the book?_

Did she hear wrongly, or was she hallucinating that voice just now?

No. She was sure she heard correctly, and she wasn't insane… yet.

But there was no way Akashi would ever utter such brazen words, she told herself. Unless…

Worry plagued her face when she shot an avalanche of questions at the impassive guy, "Are you okay, Akashi-kun? You're not the third Akashi-kun, are you? How many are there inside you?"

Akashi raised his eyebrows. Momoi continued to stare at him, the determination to figure out the anomaly of her ex-teammate burning in her with immense ferocity.

After a long silence, Akashi finally spoke.

"What are you talking about? Of course I am fine, Satsuki. Why would there be another one inside me?" he questioned.

"B-Because… Wait, so you're still Akashi-kun? The second one? Seriously?" she couldn't help but repeat her doubt again. This side of Akashi wasn't in any part of her statistics at all. Yet, the way he answered her questions was so very second Akashi-like. It was almost predictable and unpredictable at the same time.

"I do not understand your confusion, Satsuki. Is there a reason why I'm not me?" Akashi continued to question, his eyes squinting as if to scrutinise Momoi thoroughly.

"No, but… Huh, so Akashi-kun has a cute side after all," she said, letting out a small laugh. There was a trace of amusement and amazement in her voice.

Akashi frowned slightly, his expression a stark contrast to that of Momoi.

_It must be weird calling a guy cute after all…_

Momoi's smile became more sheepish, but still, she didn't want to stop her playful streak yet. It was a one-in-a-million chance to catch Akashi in his most 'vulnerable' state after all!

And so, she mustered up courage she would never otherwise have, and asked, "Then, do you think I'm cute?"

She didn't know what she was expecting. Akashi would never be flustered, not even in the face of a possibly life-threatening situation. Nonetheless, she secretly hoped that she would catch a glimpse of another hidden side of Akashi, just so that her curiosity could be satiated, and she could unravel the enigma that was Akashi Seijuro.

Unfortunately, the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' really rings true here.

There was a wry smirk on the redhead's face as he asked, "Who knows, Satsuki-tan?"

… _Satsuki-tan?_

A faint shade of red crept into her cheeks. Well, she really didn't expect that. She couldn't believe her momentum playfulness had backfired on herself. Was Akashi perhaps aware of what she was doing?

"O-Oh, just look at the time! I have to go to my team now! See you, Akashi-kun!" she stumbled over her words, returned the light novel to him and instantly darted off to the left, far away from the redhead. But the stadium where the teams were wasn't at the left; it was at the right.

Akashi watched the girl leave, his smirk never once fading.

* * *

"Ugh! That was really sly of Akashi-kun just now!" Momoi lamented to herself. She had finally calmed down, but the bizarre words Akashi had uttered before continued to replay in her mind. She shook her head vigorously.

_I command you to erase those memories, brain…_

Then, an idea came to her mind.

"I have to tell Tetsu-kun and the others about this!" she mumbled again, taking out her phone. Of course, when she said 'this' it didn't include the awkward last dialogue.

_You have created a group chat with Midorin, Ki-chan, Daidiot, My Future Hubby and Muk-kun._

_You have named it 'Akashi-kun's Secret'._

_Sent Guys… I saw Akashi-kun reading a light novel, and he said the girl inside, Ringo-tan is cute!_

_Midorin: Akashi? Are you sure? Does he have a third personality?_

_Sent That's what I thought too, Midorin! But he called me Satsuki and he seems normal… other than uh, that._

_Ki-chan: Ringo-tan? Is he reading A Clockwork Apple, Honey and a Little Sister? Or the sequel?_

_Sent Y-Yeah! The sequel! How do you know, Ki-chan?_

_Ki-chan: It's very popular light novel these days. But I dunno what it's about…_

_My Future Hubby: It's about the main character being interested in a transfer student who is later discovered to be an android. I don't know the details as well, but it is indeed popular._

_Sent Tetsu-kun, you also know what it is? It must be really popular…_

_Midorin: Even so, why would Akashi read such a novel? This is ridiculous!_

_Daidiot: Why not? Heh, maybe I should recommend Akashi some of my magazines too if he's interested…_

_Sent Don't taint Akashi-kun's innocence, Dai-chan! He's still a pure boy!_

After sending that last message, Momoi rethought her words again. Surely, using the word 'innocent' to describe Akashi wasn't the best choice…

She nervously laughed to herself.

_Daidiot: Whatever. Is that Ringo-tan whoever big-chested?_

_Sent Dai-chan you pervert! Go away!_

_You have removed Daidiot from the group._

_Ki-chan: Well… But it's indeed surprising to know that Akashi-cchi reads such a novel, isn't it guys? I thought he always read very complicated things…_

_Midorin: I refuse to believe this. Are you tricking us, Momoi?_

_Sent Why would I do that?!_

_Muk-kun: Is *Ringo-tan delicious?_

_*Ringo means apple in Japanese, but in the case of the novel, it's the name of the girl._

_Sent Muk-kun! That's her name… She's not an actual apple!_

_Muk-kun: Oh. I thought it was an apple you're talking about._

_Midorin: You idiot… Have some common sense, will you?_

_Muk-kun: Sa-chin didn't say she's not an apple, so it's not my fault._

_Midorin: …_

_Ki-chan: That sounds wrong, actually… I mean, about the part when Murasakibara-cchi asked if the girl is delicious…_

_Sent Ki-chan, you're catching Dai-chan's germs!_

_Ki-chan: I'm just saying what I thought…_

_Sent Both of you are idiots, seriously!_

_You have removed Ki-chan from the group._

_My Future Hubby: Momoi-san, please calm down._

_Midorin: Sometimes, I really wonder why I still associate myself with you people._

_Muk-kun: Whatever. Gonna get snacks now. Bye._

_Muk-kun has left the group._

_Sent Well, that was anti-climatic… I thought you guys would have more of a reaction. Nobody had any except for Midorin._

_Midorin: That's only natural! It's Akashi we're talking about!_

_My Future Hubby: Akashi-kun has always been straightforward. I think it's very like Akashi-kun to say that._

_My Future Hubby: I'm sorry Momoi-san and Midorima-kun, but I'm kinda busy right now._

_Sent Right… You guys won. Congratulations, Tetsu-kun! I'm sad we lost, but I'm happy for you too._

_My Future Hubby: Thank you, Momoi-san._

_My Future Hubby has left the group._

_Midorin: Momoi, did you record what Akashi said?_

_Sent Are you doubting me, Midorin?!_

_Midorin: It's better to have proof, after all. Well, it's no concern of mine what Akashi does in his own private time. I will still beat him anyway._

_Midorin has left the group._

* * *

Momoi closed her phone, ignoring the furious rampage of texts sent by her childhood friend and a certain blonde. Was she really the only one somewhat concerned about this unexpected side of Akashi?

She sighed. She never looked at the redhead the same way again.

* * *

A/N: To clarify, Mayuzumi gave Akashi the sequel to the light novel in this story, because the poor guy was too scarred after seeing Akashi's reaction towards the prequel. That's why Akashi had a copy of it. He didn't actually go out of his way to buy it lol. But it seems like Momoi will never know about that xD Momoi likes to think men are predictable, but isn't she equally predictable herself? Akashi had won, as always xP Anyway, I think I went too overboard here… Sorry if I made Momoi and Akashi too playful HAHA. I just can't help it, since I always think that Momoi has a playful streak to her, but since Akashi is always a winner, he would never back down when someone challenges him. I hope I didn't go too OOC _ Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing this! The next chapter will be interactions of Momoi with the GoM in general. Look forward to it! :D


	4. Entangled (gomomo)

 

* * *

**4\. Entangled [fluff, comedy, friendship, gomomo, set during Teiko middle school days]**

_Knots in a thread are just like the knots in our hearts. The more frustrated we get, the more our feelings become tangled up. But as long as we have patience and faith that we can eventually weasel our way out, the knots will ultimately untangle in a way or another._

_Well, that's me trying to hope, at least. That things will eventually get better. Somehow._

* * *

"Ehhh? Wait, why are we having a sleepover at  _my_  house?" Momoi asked, incredulous that their captain had dared to suggest such a thing. Her imagination wasn't vibrant enough to imagine the possibly dreadful scene that might happen.

_If these six idiots are in my house, my house may be tarnished- no, ripped into shreds!_

She shuddered slightly, backing away from the six idiots who were currently with her. She already had enough of them in school, and Aomine both in school and at home. Must they really invade her private space as well?

"It is important that we run through our first match together. Amagawa Junior High is a very strong contender, after all. Besides, I believe this will serve as bonding time for the new set of regulars," Akashi explained with a passive voice, though from how authoritative he sounded, it was clear that he was hinting 'My decision is absolute, Momoi'.

Murasakibara yawned, his eyes as dead as a fish's.

"Aren't you exaggerating, Aka-chin? I mean we beat all our opponents so far…"

"We should never let our guard down, Murasakibara," the redhead emphasised.

Aomine shrugged as he said, "Whatever. It makes no difference for me since I always go to her house anyway."

Pushing his glasses up, Midorima said with a sigh, "I guess there is no choice then. We shall have a sleepover at Momoi's house."

Seeing the guys' fervent approval (mainly because Akashi was the one who suggested it), only Momoi was left absolutely disgruntled.

Her pretty little face scrunching up, she yelled, "Wait, don't decide this without my permission! And why my house? Why not Akashi-kun's h-"

Silence. Then, a death stare.

_O-On second thoughts, this doesn't sound too bad. I mean, these guys may be idiotic, but they aren't too idiotic! Tetsu-kun is an angel, Akashi-kun is decent and Midorin may steal my things but he won't do anything too terrible. I just need to stop Ki-chan from getting too enthusiastic, Muk-kun from eating the food and Dai-chan- Well, I handle Dai-chan all the time anyway._

Her thoughts immediately switched to brainwashing mode. Of course, with that one look from Akashi, Momoi conceded. And so, it was decided. They would all go ravage her house.

Murmuring her final prayers like a mantra, Momoi could only wish for the best.

"Are you okay, Momoi-san?" Kuroko asked, traces of concern residing beneath the depths of his irises.

_Yeah… Tetsu-kun is going to stay over! That makes things a hundred times better!_

Forcing her lips to quirk up, she returned her crush's warm smile with a lopsided grin of hers.

"Of course, Tetsu-kun!" she chirped.

_Everything's going to be all right…_

_Right?_

Then, she realised one horrible thing.

Her mother, Momoi Yuzuki, was at home that day.

But when she realised it, it was too late to turn back. They were already at her doorstep, and she was already unlocking the door.

"Welcome home, Satsuki and Daiki- Oh! New guests? Judging by the hair colours, the other five of you must be the basketball idiots Satsuki have been talking all about along, right?" Yuzuki guessed, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"Basketball idiots?" Midorima questioned, and in an instance all eyes were on Momoi. She smiled sheepishly while sending a piercing glare to her overzealous mother.

"Yes. Thank you for having us, aunt," Akashi said as politely as ever, ignoring the little nickname their manager had given them.

"Ah, you must be Seijuro-kun! What lovely red hair you have!" Yuzuki exclaimed, delightfully ruffling the boy's hair, then proceeding to touch the others', commenting on how lovely and fluffy their hair felt under her fingertips.

Oh, right. Her mother had a bit of what you would call a 'hair fetish'. Since young, Aomine and she had been victims.

"Mom! Stop touching their hair… It's embarrassing!" she protested, her face flushing. None of her teammates seemed to have much of a reaction, except for Midorima whose face was as red as a tomato and Kise who resembled an overenthusiastic puppy.

"Oh, c'mon Satsuki! It's not every day I get to see such colourful hair!" her mother exclaimed while proceeding to tiptoe in order to graze upon the long strands of Murasakibara's purple hair.

"Your mother is so like you, Momo-cchi…" Kise whispered. The rest nodded in unison.

"What do you mean? I don't go around touching random people's hair!" Momoi yelled.

The green-haired boy coughed, correcting her statement, "But you do glomp at random people."

"T-That's…! I only do that to people I'm close to, not just anyone!"

"I don't recall ever being close to you," Midorima stated, his voice as cold as ice.

Like a lightning bolt had struck across her, Momoi's shoulders slumped. She dramatically clutched her heart, as if feigning pain. Midorima frowned, clearly unamused.

"Ah, you're really a tsundere, Shintaro-kun!" remarked the pinkette's mother, clapping her hands together.

The bespectacled guy diverted his attention to the pink-haired girl beside him, his stare as sharp as daggers. In contrast to her mother's excitement, Momoi just wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury herself in it. At this rate, she was going to die in her teammates' hands before she died from cleaning up the mess they would create.

This was gonna be a disaster. She knew it would be.

* * *

Immediately after they entered the house, Murasakibara asked, "Is there food?"

"Don't empty our fridge, Muk-kun!" Momoi reminded. However, it was too late. He had already entered the kitchen, with no sign of acknowledging the request she had hastily made.

"Interesting. Do your parents or grandparents play chess, Momoi?" the redhead questioned. He was already on the other side of the living room for inexplicable reasons, inspecting the chess board placed at a corner.

The pinkette nodded. Her eyebrows were raised, somewhat apprehensive of how things were turning out.

"My dad does when he's bored- Wait, are you going to play chess now, Akashi-kun?"

Somehow, Akashi already set the chess board, placing the pieces in their respective positions.

"It's not as entertaining as shogi, but I believe it will do well to keep my interest," he said while moving his first piece.

A sense of despair loomed over Momoi. If Akashi, the ringleader of the circus of five basketball idiots, was distracted by a measly chess board, what was going to happen to her house? More precisely, her?

"Akashi-kun, what about the data-" she stopped, her attention diverting to the navy-haired figure recklessly entering her room.

"Aomine-kun, don't just barge into my room like that!"

Her childhood friend just shrugged like he did earlier on and continued inside the room. Momoi didn't even want to imagine what would happen to the room she had painstakingly tidied up after the nth Aomine War just two days ago.

She broke into cold sweat. Her room was going to be wrecked, and there was no saving it anymore.

Yet, she was not even spared time to worry for the state of her room, because her beckoning cat was taken away right at the corner of her eye.

"Midorin! What are you doing?" she questioned, her voice thinning with hollow despair.

"Coincidentally, this is my lucky item today. I will be borrowing this, Momoi," he stated, not allowing any room for protest.

A resigned yelp escaped her lips. For a moment, out of her deranged mind, she wanted to ask Midorima how Taurus was ranking in the horoscope that day, even if she had never believed in that shady Oha Asa horoscope. Maybe that might explain the unfortunate events spelling out to her…

Suddenly, a presence surfaced near her in the midst of her frustration.

"Momoi-san, I didn't know you have vanilla ice cream at home. This is surprisingly good."

Momoi jumped instinctively, relaxing as soon as she caught sight of a pair of familiar blue orbs.

"Gah, Tetsu-kun! You scared me! Wait… It's the only ice cream left…" she cried out for the lost ice cream.

Kuroko's eyes softened like those of a wounded puppy's, his tone apologetic.

"I'm sorry. Did you want to eat it?"

Immediately, Momoi straightened up, shaking her head vigorously.

"No, it's okay Tetsu-kun! Have it!" she denied his concerns, turning her head away from the ice cream.

Another voice echoed in the air, "Woah, Momo-cchi! This is cool!"

"Nooooooooooo!"

There was a lion roar. Yuzuki's eyes were focused on the tangled thread at the side, as well as the blonde perpetrator near it.

* * *

"You're an idiot, Ki-chan…" Momoi sighed. After her ignorant friend fiddled with her mother's sewing machine, the thread coiled around the spool pins was all tangled up. That rendered the whole coil of thread useless. Despite her mother's deceptively friendly facade, there was hell for anyone who dared to touch her things, and worse, break or damage them.

Yet, that was what Kise did—step over that forbidden line.

So, naturally, the poor blonde was now stuck with the job of straightening out the twisted thread. It proved to be a challenging task, however, because the more his clumsy fingers moved, the messier the thread became.

"I didn't know the thread would get all tangled up like that!" Kise whined.

"It's your fault for touching other people's items, Kise," Midorima stated matter-of-factly.

"You also took Momo-cchi's beckoning cat! Why am I the only one getting scolded?"

Impassive, Kuroko continued to eat his ice cream while commenting, "Rather than talking, Kise-kun, I believe you should quickly untangle the thread before Momoi-san's mother scolds you again."

"Don't just say that while eating ice cream, Kuroko-cchi! Help me out a little too!"

In a flash, the ninja disappeared. The blonde glanced left and right, in hope to find his 'friend' who had left him alone in his troubles, but his efforts were futile. Groaning dramatically, the blonde continued his poor attempts of fixing his mistake.

"You have a lot of snacks, Sa-chin. Maybe I should come more often," Murasakibara made a dangerous comment as he walked out of the kitchen, munching onto some potato chips while holding onto packets of crackers and biscuits. She wouldn't be surprised if her fridge had already been ransacked by the hungry giant.

"Ah, your friend Atsushi-kun has such a healthy appetite! He's still a growing boy after all," her mother chirped, following the giant right after. For some strange reason, her anger had dissipated into thin air, and she was now looking at the purple giant with fond eyes of a mother. Momoi could only watch the scene in front of her in utter dismay.

_H-How did Muk-kun bribe Mom? Maybe he threatened her?_

Judging by the height difference between the purple-haired boy and the pink-haired woman, that definitely seemed plausible.

The seemingly cheerful woman's eyes then slanted into sinister slits, her voice low and menacing.

"Oh, and Satsuki, you know you'll be paying off all these food with your pocket money, don't you?"

They were all sadists, the pinkette had confirmed. All out to ruin her life.

* * *

She walked into her room, checking the non-existent cash in her pouch as she murmured, weeping to herself, "My money…"

"What are you whining over, Satsuki?" the navy-haired guy in her room asked, leisurely flicking the pages of his beloved magazines. Finally, Momoi was snapped out of her daze. Her eyes turned to the drink cans on the ground, her blanket that had crumpled against her friend's weight and the lewd magazines scattered all over her room. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that she had stepped into a pink version of Aomine's room.

She sucked in a quick breath. Everything… was  _not_  all right.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm spending my time untangling thread…" Midorima grunted. He was forcefully brought in after Kise promised him that he would buy him a month worth of lucky items.

"This is a pain," Murasakibara groaned. He was the second person Kise had bribed.

"I messed up once with this machine too, but I never got such ridiculously tangled up thread..." Aomine commented. He was the third person Kise had bribed.

"Seriously…" Momoi sighed. She had joined in after seeing Kise's futile struggle with the thread. Without any help, he would have probably taken an eternity on his own.

"This may take a few hours," Kuroko said. He was the second one who joined in out of pity after seeing the scene of four guys and one girl squatting and uncoiling thread.

"Hehe. Sorry guys," Kise apologized, rubbing his head sheepishly.

"Don't 'hehe' us Ki-chan!"

On the other hand, Akashi was still immersed in his game of chess. He was either ignorant of what was going on, or simply thrilled in their suffering. Momoi guessed the latter.

"Akashi-cchi, please help us! You're our only saving grace now!" Kise pleaded the redhead who was currently focused on shifting one of his pawns.

"You should resolve your own problems, Kise," the captain stated heartlessly. Upon receiving such a reaction, the blonde sunk his head into his arms, resigned to his cursed fate.

Just then, Yuzuki came out from the kitchen, holding a tray of six bowls of pudding.

"This tangled thread is starting to resemble a very complicated web of relationships… Don't you think so, Satsuki?" the pink-haired woman remarked, mirth dancing upon her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about, mom, but let's just give up this coil of thread… I'm sure Ki-chan has learnt his lesson already! He'll pay for the loss he has incurred on you too!" Momoi cried out, her patience wearing thin. The thread hung loosely on her hands, like a jumbled bunch of hair.

Her mother's lips formed an enigmatic smile as she said, "No, Satsuki. It's more fun this way."

"Momo-cchi… Now I know why you turned out the way you did!" Kise declared once again.

"…What do you mean by that?!" Momoi exclaimed, pouting.

Heaving a sigh, the captain finally got up from his position and moved towards them. In a matter of minutes, he disentangled all the knots of the thread and rolled the thread back into the spool pins with his nimble fingers. The other five gawked at the magical sight. Again, the captain had accomplished a feat none of them could. Was he an actual miracle worker of some sort?

"Wait, Akashi-kun, you untangled the thread so easily?" the first person to voice out her doubt was Momoi.

"It's simple. All of you were just too frantic when handling the thread," he stated curtly, before returning to his solo game of chess.

"You should have done that earlier, Akashi-cchi! If it was so simple, I wouldn't need to waste all my salary on bribing these three useless people!" the blonde lamented, pointing at the aforementioned three people while still staring at the spool pins now filled with straight thread.

"Useless? Oi, who are you calling useless, Kise?" Aomine grunted.

In contrast to the bickering duo, Akashi's face was calm—the calm before the storm.

He moved another pawn of his while saying with a monotonous voice, "It's only fun like that, Kise."

Everyone blinked and exchanged looks, probably questioning their captain's definition of 'fun'.

Yuzuki frowned, complaining, "You took away the fun by untangling it all, Seijuro-kun!"

"It was dragging out for too long. It gets tiring to watch after a while," Akashi explained. He finished his solo game of chess, stood up and proceeded to the television.

"Now, I believe it's time that we analyse the data."

"Say that earlier, Akashi-kun!" the protests of Momoi rang in the room to no avail. The damage was already done. She glanced pitifully at the empty fridge in her kitchen and the shambles her room had become.

* * *

"I'm so tired…" Momoi heaved out a huge breath. After the whole analysis, night had already descended. To take a momentum breather, she stepped out of her house in order to inhale the fresh air.

Following her out was her devious mother. The pink-haired woman had a wry grin on her face.

"It must be nice having such lovable guys surround you, huh, Satsuki? I wonder who you'll end up with!" Yuzuki exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

Thanks to that thoughtless remark of her mother, Momoi's thoughts started to wander, visualising herself with the other members of Generation of Miracles. Immediately, she shook her head vigorously.

"None! They're all idiots. Except-" she abruptly stopped, a late realisation dawning on her. She was at the verge of spilling out the name of her crush! Her pink irises enlarged at this notion. There was no way she was going to let her mother know about that! Her mother would divulge her secret in a heartbeat if she did!

"Except?"

Yuzuki's eyes narrowed, as if scrutinising her daughter's expression thoroughly.

Feigning an oblivious smile, Momoi exclaimed urgently, "Nothing!"

"Hello."

Both Momoi and Yuzuki jumped. A pale blue-haired boy appeared behind them, watching them with those lifeless blue eyes of his.

"Ah! Where did you come from, little boy?" Yuzuki asked.

Kuroko tilted his head, stating, "I've always been here."

Yuzuki tapped her chin thoughtfully, her eyebrows furrowing. Then, she suddenly perked up.

"Oh… You're 'Tetsu-kun', aren't you? You're a special one indeed, like what Satsuki said," she noted, her pink orbs lighting up with amusement, after which she inched closer to the petite boy.

"So… Do you have a girlfriend?"

Unfortunately for Yuzuki, that did not escape Momoi's sharp ears.

" _Mom!_ "

Like a deer caught in the headlines, Yuzuki froze, though a knowing smirk swiftly surfaced on her face later.

"Why are you so agitated, Satsuki? I'm just showing concern, like what old aunts do. Hohoho!" the woman laughed it off, before returning to the comfort of the living room nonchalantly, leaving the two behind.

Momoi shifted uncomfortably, uneasy now that they were alone under the night sky together. The stars twinkled with mischief, as if mocking the growing anxiety in her heart. Butterflies were starting to fly in her stomach, and her heart was thumping rapidly and steadily against her chest.

After a long silence, Kuroko said, "Your mother is very fun, Momoi-san."

That had caught Momoi off-guard.

She stumbled over her words, "F-Fun? Yeah, that's one way to put it…"

_What am I going to say? What am I going to say? What am I going to say?_

"Um, Tetsu-kun...!" she accidentally shouted, the nervousness creeping inside her like a ghost. How was she going to face him after her mother asked what she did?!

There was a faint smile on Kuroko's face. His gaze ghosted over her, and then moved up above her.

"The night sky is pretty," he commented. His remark zapped out every remaining doubt in Momoi's head. She shifted her attention to the sky, admiring how seven stars sparkled against the blanket of darkness. If only they would continue to glimmer, forever and ever.

Making this silent wish inside her, she agreed, "Yeah... It is."

* * *

"There's a guest room and there are futons in the cabinet. You guys can sleep here," explained the pinkette. The pinkette led the colourful bunch into the spare guest room. Soon after, the seven took out six futons and pillows and settled down. Due to her mother's talk about how 'a lone girl should not sleep in a den of wolves', Momoi was to sleep in her own room, but she decided to stay a little after being provoked by the best childhood friend ever.

"When it comes to sleepovers, do you guys know what we should do?" Kise asked the six.

"...Have snacks?" Murasakibara asked, holding up a new batch of snacks he had 'stolen' from the fridge.

Everyone pretty much facepalmed, with the exception of Kuroko and Akashi who appeared indifferent towards Murasakibara's very much expected response.

"Nooo! We should have horror stories!"

The prospect of listening to horror stories at night unnerved Momoi. Her lips trembling, she shook her head.

"Uh, I'm gonna return to my room..." she whispered weakly, almost crawling out of the guest room.

"Don't get scared, Satsuki," Aomine commented, a lopsided grin plastered on his face.

Sending her audacious friend a stern glare, Momoi retorted, "I'm not scared! You're the one trying to act all tough, Aomine-kun!" Her trembling fingers were telling her otherwise, but she pursed her lips, stubborn not to show her fear. She was going to rub that smug grin off her friend's face.  _She was!_

"Right. I do have a good horror story, in fact," Kuroko said.

"Really? Say it Tetsu-kun! Let's just hope dear Aomine-kun doesn't end up screaming," she teased the navy-haired guy. Gritting his teeth, the basketball player returned his friend's glare with an equally piercing stare of his, as if telling her to bring it on.

There was no change in the phantom man's facial expression as he started to recite his story, "There is a young boy sleeping. He hears footsteps outside his door, and so he opens his eyes slightly to see what's going on. Then, he sees a murderer carrying the corpses of his parents. The murderer positions the corpses on a chair and then writes something on the wall in the blood of the corpses. He then hides under the child's bed. The child pretends that he is sleeping, although he's very much awake. He tries to squint in the darkness to make out the words on the wall. Finally, he makes out the sentence."

The air was almost still when Kuroko paused in the midst of his story for the first time, as if building up the tension.

Then, the phantom man finally revealed the answer, " _'I know you're awake'._  Then, there are sounds of someone shifting under his bed." Although his tone was as monotonous as ever, the low pitch of his voice in addition to the gloomy darkness of the room managed to amplify the terror of this single statement.

Holding their breaths in, Murasakibara, Kise, Aomine and Momoi froze. Midorima pushed his glasses up, clearing his throat to break the silence. On the other hand, Akashi appeared unfazed.

"T-This isn't scary," Midorima insisted despite the slight tremors in his voice.

"A-Ahaha… We shouldn't be doing this in the dark after all…" Kise stuttered, emitting a nervous, high-pitched laugh.

The pink-haired manager's teeth was chattering as she complained to the blonde, "Y-You're the one who suggested it, Ki-chan!"

"You guys are cowards... Nothing's scary about this. I would beat the murderer into a pulp."

Casting his initial shock away, Aomine immediately put on a brave front.

_Liar liar, pants on fire..._

It was a childish thought, but Momoi still held it in her head anyway. Any thoughts were better than all those murderer thoughts roaming in her head at that moment.

"That's not a wise thing to do, Aomine, especially if he's armed," the redhead uttered in a pragmatic tone.

"I-I'm going to sleep!" Momoi yelped, running off to her room, not wanting to dwell in the horrifying conversation any longer.

* * *

Curse Aomine-kun for challenging her. Curse her guts for accepting the challenge. Curse... that murderer.

She couldn't sleep. Not at all. And her throat was burning. So, she decided to go to the kitchen to get a cup of water.

However, when she was pouring the water, she heard footsteps. A giant shadow loomed over her, as if about to swallow her whole. Her nerves tensed up instinctively. W-Was someone going to murder her after all?

"Huh? Sa-chin, why are you up?" a lazy voice sounded in the distance.

"Save me!" she shrieked, her heart almost leaping out of her chest, in fear that the murderer had come for her at last. She only relaxed when she recognised the voice to be Murasakibara's. Slowly, she turned her head, facing the indifferent giant, a shade of red tinging her cheeks for her careless display of fear earlier on. Sure, Murasakibara had an imposing figure reminiscent of a murderer, but how stupid was she to actually mistake him as one?

Rubbing her head sheepishly, she stuttered, still unable to get over the shock, "I-I can't sleep… What about you, Muk-kun?"

"I was hungry," he stated simply.

_No surprise. It sounds just like Muk-kun._

As if sensing the girl's discomfort, the giant assured her, "Sa-chin, there's no murderer. Even if there is, I'll crush him."

"O-Of course I know that! Ahaha!" her voice cracked midway, but that was the least of her concerns.

The giant did not say anything else. He only pat her head before diverting his attention back to her fridge.

Momoi sighed. It really so was like Murasakibara.

But now, she was able to sleep, her heart at ease. There was no murderer. Just six basketball idiots.

* * *

Finally, the six were going to leave her house. Momoi took in a deep breath. Peace, at last.

"Thank you for your hospitable welcome, aunt," Akashi said, giving a light bow to the pink-haired woman.

"No worries! Come again. Just do not mess up my things again, Ryota-kun," she tweeted, smiling at Kise whose head was hung low.

As soon as the six departed, Momoi slumped onto the ground. She was thankful it was a Sunday. There were a lot of things to do, such as clearing up the rooms, calculating the amount of money she would need to repay her mother and taking note of any missing items.

This whole sleepover affair was indeed a disaster, but well... not a complete one, she guessed. It was somewhat enjoyable. Only somewhat, because she didn't want to think of herself as a masochist.

Still, she was going to get payback, and she knew just the way to go about it.

She smirked. Those six basketball idiots were going to have to watch out.

* * *

A/N: The thread thing really did happen to my mother, and my brother and I had to untangle the thread LOLOL. Sadly, we didn't succeed in untangling it all like Akashi did, but I felt a sense of accomplishment untangling almost half of it, as weird as that sounds. We never knew how Momoi's mother is like so this is just my interpretation of how she may be like. She's there also for the comedy relief HAHA. Anyway, there'll probably be a sequel for this because while I like to write about Momoi bullying the GoM. Lol, that actually sounds wrong _ Next up will be Kimomo, and the next chapter will have actual romance... for the first time! Look forward to it ^^


	5. Orange (kimomo)

A/N:

This story is inspired by Toradora! and other scenes in KnB, and since I thought Kise always gives me the matchmaker vibe, I was wondering what would happen if the matchmaker became the star himself lol.

*Note: underline in this story means strikeout

* * *

**05\. Orange [fluff, romance, kimomo]**

" _They say likes repel and opposites attract, but we don't need a magnetic force to be together. We're already on the same side. We don't have to be pulled together; we're already there, together."_

* * *

**I. Yellow – in Momoi Satsuki's eyes**

_Things she knew about Kise Ryota:_

_1\. He's handsome._

_2\. He's popular._

_3\. He's talented._

_4\. He smiles a lot._

Those were the exact same things which she didn't care about Kise Ryota.

It was only until he joined the Teiko basketball team in their second year, entering the first string quickly after his arrival, that she started paying a little more attention to him beyond idle gossip and rumours. After all, it was only right that she took note of special players like him, considering she was the manager of the Teiko basketball team.

As she observed his playing style, she added more things to the list.

_5\. He's a fast learner._

_6\. He replicates moves easily upon one glance and even combines them together, making him a Jack of all trades but also a master of none._

_7\. He's cold to people whom he doesn't acknowledge, but dramatic to people whom he does._

And maybe, as he went to popsicle outings with her and the other regulars, she got to know him a little better.

_8\. He's kinda silly._

_9\. He joined the basketball club because of Dai-chan._

_10\. He's a friend who also admires Tetsu-kun._

_11\. Still, he's nothing special._

She had kept her stand until one day.

When she had ended up walking home with Tetsu-kun one day, and later reunited with the other members of the Generation of Miracles sans Akashi-kun, Ki-chan had winked at her suggestively and had asked, "Momo-cchi, was there any development between you and Kuroko-cchi, hmm?"

_12\. He's surprisingly observant._

Seeing as how things had gotten interesting, her lips had curled into an enigmatic smile, and she had said, "There is some progress."

Their conversation was soon interrupted by their noisy teammates to both of their dismay. Thankfully, Ki-chan had also been perceptive enough not to spill the beans.

Satsuki had then pulled Ki-chan closer later on, and had whispered to him, "Ki-chan, promise me something. Don't tell anyone about this."

"Of course! I may not look like it, but I keep secrets well, Momo-cchi," he had chirped, scanning the surroundings furtively before adding, "Since this sounds interesting, I guess I'll help you out too!"

His eyes had gleamed under the darkness, resembling those of a devious scientist about to conduct an experiment. She couldn't tell if Ki-chan was reliable enough, but still, she pinned her trust on her newfound ally. At least, unlike unreliable Dai-chan who would probably dismiss her maiden heart away with a shrug, Ki-chan would at least listen to her if she needed someone to confide in.

And so, the Momoi Satsuki-Kise Ryota alliance was established.

_11. Still, he's nothing special. He's the first one to know my crush for Tetsu-kun._

_13\. He's probably an ally._

* * *

"So… How should I confess to Tetsu-kun, Ki-chan?" Satsuki asked the blonde one day after practice. Her hands fidgeting and her face slightly flushed, she looked at anywhere else that wasn't golden. It took her some knack to actually ask this question, because despite his promises to help, he hadn't really talked to her about the issue yet. And it was just… embarrassing. But Ki-chan wasn't one to judge, she thought.

The blonde blinked, humming in wonder. His smile masked all traces of confusion.

"Er… Just do it? I don't really know," he finally replied, rubbing his head sheepishly.

The pink-haired girl gaped at the embarrassed blonde, pouting as she protested with a huff, " _That's no help, Ki-chan!_ "

"I was always the one on the receiving end, not the one confessing!" retorted the useless Ki-chan.

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Satsuki almost slammed her head onto the wall before recovering herself at the very last second.

"Well then, isn't there anyone who made a really special confession to you?" she asked again, inhaling and exhaling to keep her cool. Her nerves were already tingling out of excitement. At this rate, the heat was going to keep building up inside her and she was going to vaporise into thin air.

"…Not really? They're all really basic," Ki-chan commented bluntly, shrugging. Satsuki sweat-dropped.

_I feel kinda bad for those girls Ki-chan rejected…_

Mentally, she scribbled in her head.

_unreliable_

_13\. He's probably an ^ ally._

_14\. He's too honest for his own good._

"But you're also popular, Momo-cchi. Isn't there someone who made a special confession to you?"

Satsuki wrinkled her nose, thinking about all the confessions she had received before.

"…No. They're all the same. Talking about how they like how pretty I was and an angel and they like me because of that," she murmured, the words leaving her a somewhat bitter taste in her mouth. However, at the thought of her beloved crush, she brightened up.

"Tetsu-kun is different, though!"

The pinkette's eyes crinkled up. Ki-chan's lips quirked up, mirroring her smile.

"You're right. We don't get to see a guy like Kuroko-cchi often. Then, we definitely have to make your confession a success!" he chirped, pumping his fists in the air energetically.

Seeing how ardent his support was, Satsuki nodded firmly.

"Yeah!"

_ un _ _reliable_

_13\. He's probably a_ _n_ _^ ally._

* * *

Scratch that. She was wrong, and she couldn't believe she was wrong twice.

Yes, her blonde ally was actually getting hyped up to help her out, which was a good thing. But at the same time, he was getting  _way_  too hyped out, because he was trying to bring her and Tetsu-kun together in the most obvious ways possible. For instance, he would push Tetsu-kun to go home with her randomly and inexplicably. When Tetsu-kun asked him about it, he would just laugh nervously and simply dismiss him with a random excuse. The worst excuse he gave was 'oh, no reason in particular'. Even Dai-chan, the most oblivious blockhead in the world, questioned his bizarre actions. It took all of Satsuki's self-control not to just deck the idiot in the head.

Urgently dragging Ki-chan to a corner after practice one day, Satsuki complained, "Ki-chan, you're being too obvious! At this rate, everyone's going to find out that I like Tetsu-kun before I can actually confess!"

The blonde scratched his head, emitting that usual nervous laugh of his before he exclaimed, "Eh? Really? I thought I was being discreet… Besides, it's quite obvious you like Kuroko-cchi, isn't it?"

Satsuki harrumphed, an eerie smile ghosting over her face, causing Ki-chan to shrink back in fear. Nobody could defy Momoi Satsuki, especially when it came to matters related to Tetsu-kun. Nobody.

"Subtlety is key, Ki-chan!" she insisted again.

The blonde muttered, "You know I'm not good at being subtle, Momo-cchi… And this sounds weird coming from you-"

A death glare was all that it took to shut him up.

 _15\. Ignore 13. Kise Ryota is the most idiotic blockhead I've ever met, second to Dai-chan. Hey hey, what if those two battled in an idiocy competition? Now_ that _would be interesting!_

* * *

Satsuki had always wanted to ask Tetsu-kun on a date, but well, she just  _couldn't_. Every time she caught a glimpse of him, her brain would just malfunction and she would stay rooted to the ground like some immobile scarecrow. A pink-haired one.

One day, she decided 'enough is enough, stupid Satsuki', strode up to Tetsu-kun and asked him out with the most confident voice she could muster in a whim.

All he said was, "Sure." His face was expressionless and tone monotonous. But that didn't matter to Momoi Satsuki, whose face was as pink as her hair. She had fist-pumped, shouted three hip hip hoorays (behind Tetsu-kun's back, of course) and immediately sought Ki-chan later out like a clueless puppy, all confidence from before dissolving into thin air.

"Of course I'll help you out, Momo-cchi! I did promise, didn't I?" he agreed easily, causing Satsuki to thank him profusely like he was some angel who descended from heaven to save her. Scratch all the bad things she thought about him! Kise Ryota was reliable, after all! Hurray for Kise Ryota!

The next few days, their free time was spent on looking for all sorts of clothes, makeup styles and all sort of snazz so that by the end of that magical date, Tetsu-kun would be so enthralled by Satsuki and they would live as a couple happily ever after. At least, that was what Satsuki thought it would be like, with the rendition of Ki-chan's assistance.

_16\. Actually, Ki-chan is an angel. But 15 remains true. He's still the second most idiotic blockhead I've ever met._

_17\. I think I like him. In the 'friend' kind of way, of course! My heart only belongs to Tetsu-kun!_

* * *

**II. Pink – In Kise Ryota's eyes**

_Things he knew about Momoi Satsuki:_

_1\. Er… She's pretty?_

_2\. Her bosom is very blessed. I think that's the best vocab I've ever used in my life. I'm a pure kid._

_3\. She's popular among guys._

_4\. She smiles a lot._

Those were the exact same things he cared about Momoi Satsuki, but still he didn't really care about her, although he did wonder why she was always in the gymnasium, watching basketball matches. Weren't girls like her supposed to be enjoying their youth or some sort?

_5\. She's the basketball club manager. I wonder why?_

It wasn't until he joined the basketball club in his second year did he realise a few things more about her—starting from really shallow things to deeper ones.

_6\. She's Aomine-cchi's childhood friend._

_7\. She's always with the others in popsicle outings. I wonder why._

_8\. She's abnormal. She actually analyses people like a hawk!_

_9\. She's kinda nice. Maybe. I mean, she always helped me when I asked for it, like giving me data or handing me water after practice._

_10\. She's not a fangirl. Thank goodness._

_11\. She's surprisingly smart._

_12\. She's terrible at cooking._

_13\. She always calls me Ki-chan. It's annoying._

And once, he made a discovery.

_14\. She likes Kuroko-cchi._

The past Ryota would have scoffed at that fact, probably questioning her sanity. But after coming to know Kuroko-cchi, he could see his instructor's appeal. He was different.

A real life drama of the pretty girl falling for the quiet boy could be pretty interesting, he deemed. So, out of mere entertainment, he decided to help her out.

It so happened that she sought for his advice for her date with Kuroko-cchi. Brimming with curiosity, he dragged Aomine-cchi with him to spy on their date. They were pretty much like a princess and a pauper. Rather amusing to watch, actually.

After the date, Momo-cchi invited Ryota out, just to ramble on and on about the perfection that was Kuroko Tetsuya. It was then when he actually really felt like questioning her sanity, though it was somewhat fascinating to see how she was practically glittering after one date. He never pinned her down as the type who cared about romance. Maybe Momo-cchi was simpler than he thought. Seeing how devoted she was, he guessed she was kinda cute.

"In conclusion, it's just a-amazing! Tetsu-kun is an angel!" she finally ended her blabbering. Still, she didn't appear to recover from her ecstasy. Her eyes were all googly, like she was entering her own dream world.

"Yeah, I know," he bluntly said, belatedly realising his mistake.

Momo-cchi's smile dropped, her eyes narrowing into suspicious slits.

"Wait, what?" she asked, her tone guarded.

"Oh… Ahaha, nothing!"

It was Ryota's specialty to laugh something off when he didn't want to answer. He evaded Momo-cchi's questioning gaze with tact of a seasoned liar.

Immediately, he thought of a diversion tactic.

"Speaking about it, this is the first time we're out in our free time, isn't it? What do you like to do in your free time, Momo-cchi?" he asked.

"Shopping! I just love comparing the prices and quality and analysing which is the best option of them all," she answered while cackling to herself. She sounded like a devious scientist. Not that Ryota was in any position to complain himself.

_15\. She likes shopping. She seems like the kind who'll expose all your weaknesses if she turns against you. Beware of Momo-cchi._

"I thought you would say watching basketball matches or something, Momo-cchi. Still, I'm kinda scared of you now…" Ryota mumbled, shuddering.

"You make me sound like I have no life, Ki-chan… Never mind me! What about you, Ki-chan?" the pink-haired girl smoothly diverted the focus of attention onto him.

"Singing karaoke!" he proclaimed proudly.

Momo-cchi blinked. Tilting her head, she stared at the blonde in front of her.

"Sorry to ask this, but are you even any good, Ki-chan?"

"Don't say sorry if you're gonna ask that anyway! And don't underestimate me! I'm actually really good at singing!" he declared, puffing his chest out.

There was a slight hesitation in Momo-cchi's voice.

"…Really?"

Nobody could doubt Ryota's talents. Nobody.

He stood up, dragging the confused pinkette by the hand and darted off to the nearest karaoke studio with a burning competitive spirit, while announcing, "Just look, Momo-cchi! I'll prove it to you!"

* * *

Momo-cchi gawked at the screen that displayed the huge number '100'. On the other hand, Ryota was grinning triumphantly, making a ridiculous victory pose.

"Wow," she voiced out, releasing a breath she had been subconsciously holding.

"Right? My copying skill works here too," he boasted. Ryota's ego was as inflated as a hot air balloon.

Rolling her eyes, Momo-cchi eagerly grabbed the microphone.

"Let me try too!" she yelled, determination blazing through her eyes.

* * *

Provoking Momo-cchi's inner competitive spirit was  _not_  a great idea.

By the end of it all, Ryota slumped against the couch, cupping his ears which were deafened by her brilliantly out-of-tune singing. He had no complaints for her sense of rhythm. It was pretty spot-on actually. Her sense of tune, however, was another story. Although he wasn't skilled with analogies, Ryota could pretty much compare Momo-cchi's singing with that of screeching parrot. To think he triggered such a turnover of events…

"Momo-cchi, please don't ever sing again. Please!" Ryota pleaded, folding his hands together in resignation. This was his third time ever wanting something so desperately, the second time being wanting to escape from Momo-cchi's cooking.

He wasn't one for theories actually, but at that moment of time, he couldn't help but speculate that all those had particularly high attributes to compensate for their otherwise extremely terrible skills in other aspects. Perfect examples: Momoi Satsuki when it came to singing and cooking, and Kise Ryota when it came to studying.

He briefly wondered if their captain had a side like that, but the mere prospect of it was dreadful. Curiosity did kill the cat. He shook his head vigorously.

_Best to have nice thoughts… Best to have nice thoughts…_

"Why? I was just getting started! I think this is my new talent, you know?" Momo-cchi cheered, spinning the microphone around as if she was about to head for another round.

"S-Stop… Please…! I'll do whatever you want, okay?" he made a bold claim in an attempt to escape from his impending doom. There was a sly smile on the pinkette's face, like she had already predicted his fate and was secretly snickering at him.

"Really?"

Out of her demands, he treated her to cherries.

Lesson learnt: There was nothing good out of being a Samaritan. Well, other than a few additional things on his list, which he somewhat welcomed.

_16\. She's terrible at singing. Never bring her to karaoke ever again._

_17\. She likes cherries. But she's mean. Beware of Momo-cchi._

_18\. …Still, I didn't really mind the experience. She's okay as a friend. Maybe._

* * *

The day when Momo-cchi would return her favour and when Ryota would get his revenge had finally come.

"Momo-cchi, please tutor me Math! I don't want to die in Akashi-cchi's hands!" he caught the pink-haired girl, enrapturing her in the endless abyss of his pleading eyes.

Sighing, Momo-cchi nodded to the delight of the model.

"I did owe you a lot… All right, let me bring your grade up to an A by the end of exams!" she piped up, pumping her fists together.

_It's not as easy as you think, Momo-cchi._

Ryota was not sorry.

* * *

"Ki-chan, you're hopeless! I thought you're a fast learner!" Momo-cchi groaned, slamming her head down on the desk. The blonde was like a mirror, a very shiny one; he reflected every ray of knowledge the pinkette was trying to shine on him back at her. Although, he had to admit, it might be because he was trying to be a  _little_  bit more difficult on the pinkette.

Again, Ryota was not sorry. It was all karma.

"I can't copy anything in Math!" he lamented.

"Goodness…" Momo-cchi sighed, but resumed to explaining how to apply the formulae in each practiced example and the strategies to deal with the problems.

Eventually, Ryota eventually stopped being a jackass when she persevered through despite him being a hard nut to crack. Besides, her explanation was really concise and clear, unlike some of his other Math tutors. For a moment, he could almost believe he would ace the exams with her help, if he wasn't aware of his own limits in Math.

He observed how her eyebrows furrowed in concentration when he submitted his work to her. Really, she always gave her best in everything, be it in basketball or studies. He let his lips quirk into a small smile.

_19\. She is a good teacher who gives her all. Maybe I'll get her to teach me more Math. But still, beware of Momo-cchi._

* * *

"We should go out and watch a movie sometime!" Momo-cchi proposed one day, her eyes glinting in mischief. Everyone side-eyed her, probably wondering what kinds of antics she had up her sleeve.

"Why not?" Akashi-cchi approved of the idea. Midorima-cchi and Aomine-cchi both complained how 'it was a pain' but was dragged to comply anyway thanks to the combined efforts of the enthusiastic yellow-haired and pink-haired duo.

The two exchanged secret glances. Partners-in-crime, they were.

* * *

In the end, they watched a movie that was supposed to be about baking. The content itself was questionable, actually, but Murasakibara-cchi wanted to watch it since there was food in it, and everyone else just decided to go along with the purple giant.

Unfortunately, nothing in the movie's summary suggested that the main character kept a pet frog (for reasons that should not be named). Needless to say, the movie was a disaster, with Momo-cchi's shrieking echoing in the air.

"Noooooooo! It's gonna kill her!" Momo-cchi babbled incoherently, earning a few dirty glares from the surrounding people. Kuroko-cchi, the unfortunate one to sit beside her, grimaced slightly. Ryota tried to give her popcorn in an attempt to assuage her fear (to no avail—she slapped his hand away thinking he was some slimy frog). Aomine-cchi yelled at her to 'shut up' and later resumed his nap, unconcerned. Murasakibara-cchi just ate his snacks. Akashi-cchi massaged his temples. Midorima-cchi ignored everyone.

After the movie, the pink-haired girl sniffed, her dainty face tainted by the remnants of her tears as she complained, "Why… Why does that frog get so much screentime?!"

"Okay okay, calm down Momo-cchi!" he tried to pacify her by making funny faces. Momo-cchi was not amused. Well, maybe she was trying to act like it, because he noticed how a smile crept up on her face anyway.

"Stop it Ki-chan. You look weird," she bluntly said.

"Just get over yourself, Satsuki. It's just a frog," Aomine-cchi stated idly, rolling his eyes.

"'Just a frog'? Well then, maybe we should watch the Bee Movie next time. After all, there are only  _just_  bees inside, right?" the pinkette suggested, sending a knowing glare to the navy-haired guy.

Her childhood friend cursed under his breath.

"Ki-chan, is there anything you fear?" she asked bluntly, all traces of aghast disappearing from her face. Instead, she was smiling innocently. There was a difference between Momo-cchi's 'genuine smiles' and 'innocent smiles', Ryota noted. The latter spelled trouble.

"Uh… Why do you want to know that, Momo-cchi?" he questioned, wary of the girl's intentions.

"For research purposes," she chirped.

Ryota was not amused.

"He hates earthworms," Aomine-cchi, his idol and nemesis at the same time, blurted out.

In a fit of despair, Ryota screamed, "Aomine-cchi, you're not supposed to divulge my secret!" Of course, the navy-haired basketball player himself just shrugged as he shifted himself further away from the two.

Ryota groaned.

The whole movie outing was a mess, sure, but well, he did think Momo-cchi was kinda cute when she was scared.

…That sounded wrong, actually.

_20\. She is scared of frogs. She's almost harmless when she is, for a moment. Only for a moment._

* * *

Even though it wasn't April Fools' Day, there was a container of earthworms marked with a pink smiley face inside his locker one day. He really screamed his lungs out when he took in the horrendous sight.

Of course, he returned the favour by dropping a suspicious box marked with a yellow smiley face in a certain pink-haired girl's locker. To be accurate, it was a frog-in-a-box.

* * *

Love was a concept that had always confused him considering how he pretty much received confessions every day and only went out on dates when asked. Besides, he never really had a long attention span, which was why all the relationships he had were fleeting and forgettable.

So, that was when the advantage of having a friend obsessed with a guy for so long set in.

"Hey Momo-cchi, how does liking someone feel like?" Ryota asked Momo-cchi once.

"E-Ehh?" the addressed girl almost split her drink out, her eyes widening upon her friend's sudden question. Her cheeks tinged red, she pursed her lips, as if contemplating upon her words carefully.

"Uh, how does it feel like… It's like having butterflies in your stomach, I guess. When you see that person, you feel light-hearted, dizzy, and that that's the only one you can see in your eyes. A-Ah, this is so embarrassing…!" she yelped, covering her face.

"Huh, really…" Ryota muttered, observing the girl in front of him.

_Momo-cchi must really like Kuroko-cchi… Somehow, I kinda envy that._

"It sounds fun."

"Ki-chan, haven't you gone on dates before? Haven't you found someone you like?" Momo-cchi asked after she calmed down from her momentum fit. The blonde hummed thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but not really. I don't really feel butterflies flying in my stomach and all that," he replied, the words rolling off from his tongue in a weird manner. He never thought much about love before, though his recent involvement with the Kuromomo plan had evoked some reflection on this topic.

He shook his head.

_No point thinking about it. I don't have time anyway._

"Oh, I know Ki-chan! Since you helped me a lot, I should find you a girlfriend as well," Momo-cchi initiated, clapping her hands together.

"E-Ehh? There's no need Momoi-cchi! I have basketball, and besides, I'm still a model. I'm not going to have time for this!" he protested. However, he should've known better. Momoi Satsuki never took 'no' for an answer.

"Then are you planning to grow old, all alone? That won't do, Ki-chan! I'll find you a girlfriend, right now!" the pinkette insisted, wagging her finger about like a naggy mother.

Ryota groaned.

_21\. She can be surprisingly persistent when she puts her mind into it. Ugh- Shouldn't I have realised this earlier? I mean, she's like that to Kuroko-cchi! Beware of Momo-cchi, all right!_

* * *

"I don't like any of them… They're either super depressing, or super clingy!"

That was Ryota's conclusion after he met the girls Momo-cchi had introduced to him. He didn't really mind talking to some of them actually, being the social butterfly he was, but he couldn't imagine 'loving' anyone of them. Some were pretty cool about that, which he admired, but others literally clung on him like he was a spider web!

In conclusion, the whole meeting was a disaster, probably even more than that horrendous movie outing. At least in that movie outing, he discovered one of Momo-cchi's traits to make fun of... even though he had one of his weaknesses exposed.

The said girl sighed, claiming, "Your expectations are so high, Ki-chan! At this rate, you'll really grow old alone!"

Huffing, Ryota decided to change the topic.

"And you, Momo-cchi? What made you like Kuroko-cchi?"

"He's mysterious," she said, descending into utmost bliss as she continued to rattle on about Kuroko-cchi. He watched how her once weary eyes lightened up at the mention of the phantom player, and how her lips warped into an easygoing smile. For a moment, he thought the knots of his stomach tightened, and a strange sense of fluffiness settled in.

Mysterious, huh? Sure, Ryota could consider the phantom player to be mysterious. He was always impassive and appeared without anyone's notice like some ninja. Ryota could never be like that. He was the exact opposite; he attracted attention everywhere he went, and detecting whether he was sad or happy was something even a three-year-old kid could do.

"Ki-chan?" her soft voice snapped him out of his trance. When he glanced at her, all he saw was her—her crinkled eyebrows, the rapid blinking of her eyes and her pursed lips.

"Oh, nothing!" he mustered the best smile he could, as he thought of something interesting.

* * *

"Uh, Ki-chan? Why are you wearing sunglasses?" the same soft voice questioned him. For reasons only known to himself, Ryota was wearing a pair of black sunglasses even though they was barely any sun outside. All the members of the Generation of Miracles steered clear away from him, refusing to be associated with such a bizarre guy.

"The sun is like blinding rays of light, piercing through my darkened soul…" he mumbled incoherently.

"There's no sun, you idiot," Midorima-cchi said, shaking his head at this spectacle (no pun intended).

"Ki-chan…" Momo-cchi groaned, as if she was also done with his nonsense.

"Hey, but don't you guys think I'm super mysterious like that?" Ryota asked, tilting his head.

Everyone facepalmed, all uttering a single syllable, "No."

"Ki-chan is just Ki-chan after all!" Momo-cchi added unhelpfully.

There was a slight pang in his heart, but just really slight. Nonetheless, Ryota only smiled, because smiling was what he did best in anyway.

_22\. To her, I'm just Ki-chan._

* * *

Everything changed starting from the third year. The Generation of Miracles began falling apart. It was somewhat saddening actually. For a while, Ryota might've considered them as his friends. For a while, he hadn't been hearing the wind anymore.

Everything was bound to fall apart. Commitment was never going to work out for him, not if he considered his personality. Shouldn't he have realised it?

"Ki-chan, you're not going for practice?" Momo-cchi caught him when he was leaving the school. When was the last time he had spoken to her again?

His smile was bittersweet.

"Nope. I'm skipping," he chirped.

The pinkette's irises enlarged in disbelief, fixated on his golden ones. He noticed how her shoulders stiffened, and her lips were pressed together into a thin, firm line. He noticed how her gaze was becoming vacant, as if she was staring across a distance, at something that was leaving and going far away.

"Out of everyone, Ki-chan, I thought you wouldn't change," she mumbled.

He snorted. A deprecating smile ghosted over his lips.

"You're wrong, Momo-cchi. I was always like this. When things get boring, I just leave."

He walked off, leaving those words behind. The clear liquid running down her eyes didn't escape his eyes.

It was all a game—both basketball and their alliance. When he decided to join and when he decided to help her out, he only treated it as entertainment for him to pass time with. From the start, he didn't mean to become serious. But when he realised there were feelings tying him down, a strange sense of anxiety crept up to him. Because the more attached you became, the more you would break when that broke.

So, he wanted to escape. Immediately. Leaving those unwanted feelings behind.

The happiness they shared once was more than enough.

_23\. She cries too. But I don't know how to comfort her. How can I?_

_24\. I like her, but I know Momo-cchi will never like me back. I'm not the one she needs. But it's okay. I always leave when I'm bored anyway._

* * *

In the end, they didn't talk much even until graduation. To his (and probably everyone's) surprise, Momo-cchi ended up going to Too, following Aomine-cchi instead of her crush.

_25\. She is committed. I'm not._

* * *

High school soon came. Ryota didn't meet the pink-haired manager again, until he saw her spectate the Seirin-Shutoku match in the InterHigh.

"Oh, Momo-cchi. Here to watch Kuroko-cchi and Midorima-cchi's match?"

"Ki-chan! Yeah."

Everything was the same again, yet it wasn't. Neither of them talked about their last meeting, as if they wanted to deliberately avoid stepping into that hole of their friendship.

He noticed how she had gotten a little taller, though still a midget compared to him. Her feminine features were more accentuated. Yet, when he conversed to her, he knew she still remained the same at heart.

There was that fluffy sensation in his stomach again. His head became extremely light, and his eyes saw only her.

Only then did he realise how much he missed Momoi Satsuki.

* * *

After a while, she asked him out for advice regarding fashion again now with Aomine-cchi together. Of course, he knew the underlying reason was because of Kuroko-cchi. That was always the reason behind their meetings.

It was just like the first time, but Ryota knew it was all too different. Things between them had changed, undeniably. But still, he relished in the feeling of nostalgia.

When he ordered curry for her, and Aomine-cchi commented on how she didn't eat spicy stuff, Ryota noted once more.

_26\. She dislikes spicy things._

"Geez, Kise, why do you even keep up with her?" Aomine-cchi commented.

He thought about Aomine-cchi's words a little, muttering, "Well… I really respect Momo-cchi."

"She has helped me a lot in Teiko by gathering data and things for me. Which is why… If I can do anything for her, I will do so. Besides, she looks really cute when she does her best to do something, and I want her to be happy," he concluded, recalling all the memories he had with her, the fluffy feeling in his stomach settling once again.

The navy-haired basketball player cast him a sideward glance.

"Hm…"

After the verbalisation of his own feelings, that was when the realisation sank in.

He knew. Kise Ryota, who always got any girl he wanted, had fallen in 'love' with someone he knew would never return his feelings. He still didn't really understand the meaning of this yet, and even though he didn't want to admit it, he was mildly afraid of this unknown variable. He knew Momo-cchi liked Kuroko-cchi, and Aomine-cchi was the second in her heart. He would never be as important as they were to her. And, even if he could declare that he could beat anyone else in the world, he knew that these two people were people he could not defeat.

He wasn't sure whether Kuroko-cchi liked Momo-cchi at all (that guy was always such an enigma), but if they got together, his alliance with Momo-cchi would be dissolved. He wouldn't have the excuse to meet her anymore, to talk to her outside of pure coincidences, and they would just go back to being middle school teammates. The one next to her wasn't him.

But he couldn't bear the thought. Not at all.

Was this what they called 'love'?

If it was the past him, he would escape from his feelings, and shut them down. But as he lost, he also understood. The people near him—his team and her—really meant a lot to him. No matter what, he was going to protect them, and make his feelings known.

So, he made up his mind. After all, his feelings were now impossible to hide-

* * *

He invited Momo-cchi out to the cursed place, the karaoke station. Maybe that was when they started seeing each other as individuals, and not 'the person who liked Kuroko-cchi' or 'the person who helped me in my relationship with Tetsu-kun'.

Momo-cchi's singing was still as terrible as before. But Ryota figured he liked even that part of her.

After the karaoke session, night had already descended. Ryota heaved a deep breath, leading the pink-haired girl into a park.

Normally, he never gave much thought about confessions, simply because he never really make one before. But now, he was wondering. Would Momo-cchi like this place? Would Momo-cchi be accepting of what he was going to say

In the end, he acted based on instinct. Because he was just Ki-chan, Kise Ryota. That was more of his style.

"Momo-cchi, I like you! Not as a friend, but romantically!" he proclaimed. He didn't miss how the girl gasped, and how her hands were covered over her mouth. Her hair fluttered in the wind.

"Ki-chan…? Why?" she mumbled, pink orbs still widened in shock.

"I know you like Kuroko-cchi all along. I'm not expecting a reply. I just want to tell you how I feel," he said. Even though he said all that, he still didn't want to hear a reply to his confession. He wasn't ready to face rejection. Not yet. It would be a big blow to his massive ego, and he wasn't sure if he could force a smile up his face if he faced it.

"Now, let's go!"

Immediately, he tugged her along.

"…Okay."

The rest of the walk was silent. Ryota went back home with a pounding heart, the fluffy feeling in his stomach never ceasing.

So that was how it was like to have 'butterflies in his stomach', huh.

* * *

**III. Orange**

Out of all people, she had never expected to receive a confession from Ki-chan.

Of course, as their alliance prolonged, they got to know each other a little better, and the things in her list began to increase.

_18\. He likes karaoke._

_19\. He's actually good at singing._

_20\. He's easy to bully._

_21\. He's terrible with Math! But I think he's trying to get back at me for what I did… Oh well…_

_22\. He dislikes earthworms._

But still, she never expected that he would like her in 'that' way. In fact, she had never once thought of him that way, because her mind was all preoccupied with Tetsu-kun. Or at least, it once was.

The answer should be simple. She never liked him, so she should just reject him straight before he harboured any lingering feelings. But then, she rethought her feelings again.

She was always fine with status quo, or so she thought, but was she really fine with it?

What did Ki-chan even mean to her?

She recalled how Ki-chan was always there with her, listening to her rants about Tetsu-kun, Dai-chan and all the stupid things. She recalled how he put through her whims. She recalled how he tried to cheer her up when she was done and failed miserably anyway (although, she couldn't help but smile at his unorthodox behaviour). She recalled how his eyes lit up in fire for the first time in the Too-Kaijo match, and she knew that he truly loved basketball at that moment.

She recalled how for that one time, he left her behind in absolute despair. Yes, she felt betrayed when the others changed, but with Ki-chan, it felt like her heart was torn apart.

She… She couldn't imagine herself without him. He was totally unlike her ideal type, she knew. He was silly, stupid, a dork, mean sometimes, very unlike Tetsu-kun. But she also knew love was unpredictable, and at some point of time, the butterflies she felt rose when she was around Ki-chan and not Tetsu-kun any longer.

It was a mere matter of whether she wanted to accept it yet.

Amidst her confusion, she decided to look up her crush.

"Tetsu-kun."

"Momoi-san."

How long had it been since that happened? She didn't feel her heart beating in her chest when she saw Tetsu-kun, nor the familiar butterflies in her stomach. Had she really…?

"Um… About Ki-chan…" she began to ask, but was immediately cut off by her crush.

"Yes. You two have been hanging out a lot lately, haven't you?" he began. His face was impassive, yet it seemed like there was a particular glint in his eyes. It was as if he knew all the turmoil going inside her head.

_Of course, he's Tetsu-kun after all._

"Even in middle school, you two have always seemed very close. Of course, you are close with Aomine-kun, but it's rather surprising how close you two have been. I'm sure Aomine-kun realises it too."

"Aomine-kun too?" she asked. She never realised how big of a role Ki-chan had been playing in her life, until a bystander pointed it out.

The memories they shared together came flooding in. Her heart began beating again with refound vigour.

"So what did you want to ask me about Kise-kun, Momoi-san?" Tetsu-kun asked. She stood immobile, the answer spelling itself to her in an oddly straightforward manner. But finally, a smile graced upon her lips.

"…No, it's nothing. I'm sorry for calling you out on a whim," she said.

There was no need to ascertain her feelings with Tetsu-kun. Because, her heart already had the answer.

"Tetsu-kun, thank you… For everything," she voiced.

"I didn't do anything."

There was a faint smile on Tetsu-kun face. Satsuki wondered if he knew.

Maybe. Maybe not.

For once, she thought that his opinions didn't quite matter anymore.

* * *

After Winter Cup, she saw him again. After Kaijo's loss to Seirin, he was crouching in a corner, spacing out. All she did was pat him on the shoulder.

Ki-chan jumped and blinked at the pinkette, tears still in his eyes.

"…Momo-cchi?"

_23\. He cries too._

She gave him a hankerchief. The blonde accepted it, still slightly distraught. The two sat in silence, no words exchanged between them.

"Hehe… That was really embarrassing, wasn't it?" he laughed, breaking the stillness of the air.

Satsuki smiled.

"It wasn't."

The embarrassed chuckling of Ki-chan faded, and instead, solemnity fell upon his face.

He looked down, murmuring, "I didn't do this when you were crying back then."

"I know. You idiot," she spit out, flicking his forehead. She saw how he flinched, but he laughed again anyway.

She took in a deep breath and looked up at him, her pink orbs reflecting him and his golden orbs reflecting her only.

"I forgive you. Because now, you're back to Ki-chan, aren't you?"

The blonde shook his head, muttering, "…I did say I was always like that."

Frowning, Satsuki flicked his forehead again. The latter winced from the pain, playfully glaring at the perpetrator.

"But, I can see you've changed, Ki-chan. Tetsu-kun changed you," she said.

The blonde blinked, nodding slowly.

"You did too," he mumbled faintly. The words didn't escape her sharp ears.

Her cheeks tinged as pink as her hair, she maintained eye contact with the blonde, lost in the sea of golden. She felt like there was a golden light embracing her, and so, she reached out for him.

And finally, she said the words she wanted to tell him all along.

"I-I like you too. Not as a friend, but you know… romantically."

Ki-chan blinked once again in disbelief. She knew what was coming up next—incessant questions on her past crush towards Tetsu-kun, teasing about when she found him attractive and later a hug tackling her down.

It was almost predictable, yet she thought she didn't mind that at all.

_24\. I like him. Maybe not in the 'friend' way anymore._

* * *

One of their silly arguments included bickering over the taste of oranges.

"Oranges are sweet!" Momoi protested.

"No, they're sour!" Kise retorted.

Kuroko had intervened the two's bickering then, asking, "Why can't it be both?"

Both of them turned to the phantom player, admiration flashing through their eyes.

"I never thought of that, Kuroko-cchi!"

"You're so wise, Tetsu-kun!"

There was no way love was going to be easy. Even in movies and dramas, there were always tribulations awaiting the two. Both Kise and Momoi didn't know what was going to come next, but what they knew was that by being with each other, their palettes would be filled with new colours. And this orange they were about to savour was going to be one that was both sweet and sour.

* * *

A/N: Sorry Kuromomo fans xD Kuromomo's time will come soon, don't worry! Anyway, here's my attempt at actual romance. Hope the flow was okay! But seriously, I believe Kise is rather naive when it comes to love, since most people just fall for him for his looks anyway. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Kuroko turns out to be a secret player and we all just don't know that... That will be a story for another day though xD Love is amazing, in the sense that you just end up in unpredictable places with unpredictable people. Sometimes, the person right beside you is the one you need.


	6. Christmas Mishaps (aomomo)

**6\. Christmas Mishaps [friendship, comedy, aomomo ft gom]**

" _Momoi Satsuki was a devil born in the disguise of an angel—Aomine firmly believed in that. He, on the other hand, was a devil born… as a devil._

_They were fated to be friends."_

* * *

It was Christmas, a busy day for six boys, especially for Aomine who had to put up with the whims of his childhood friend.

"Hold on Satsuki! First, why do I have to wear these horns?" Aomine protested, his features crumpling into a grouchy expression. He was forced to put on a pair of horns on his head by his pink-haired childhood friend for reasons only known to the girl herself.

Giggling at the sight, Momoi added, "It suits you so well, Aomine-kun! You look like the embodiment of Krampus!"

"Krampus? Hey, I don't punish children!"

Aomine's retaliation went to deaf ears. In contrast to his devilish appearance, Momoi was clad in a Mrs. Claus outfit, accentuating her angelic façade (oh no, she was the  _opposite_  of that, Aomine was sure). To perfect the look, she even wore a white, curly wig and a pair of glasses, though they clashed with her youthful appearance drastically.

For this year's Christmas, she insisted on doing something special. A roleplay was what it was called, apparently. Anyway, because of her frenzy in this 'roleplay' thing, she had dragged her basketball teammates to her house and had begun choosing costumes of iconic Christmas figures for them. Why did he even put up with her? He guessed it was the same reason why she put up with him.

Oh well, he would just have to demand for more magazines after this whole fiasco.

Judging from all the frowns on his teammates' faces, he surely wasn't the only one displeased.

"What is this, Momoi?" Midorima questioned. No one could see his facial expression as his face was covered by a Grinch mask, but from his lowered voice, Aomine could tell that Midorima was  _really_  mad. Still, that didn't stop him from bursting into laughter at Midorima's appearance. His justification to himself was that Midorima was always mad anyway.

"That mask suits your hair, Midorima," he chipped in. Midorima glared at the navy-haired boy, though by then, the navy-haired boy was already immune to the green-haired boy's dagger-like glares after having been on the receiving end for too long.

"Those horns suit your face, Aomine. No wonder you're the devil's incarnate," he hissed. The nerves of having to be Momoi's doll must have gotten into Midorima, Aomine figured. Although, he had to admit that it was just fun messing around with the green-haired player.

Either oblivious to the not-so-subtle disses, or acutely aware of them but opting to seem ignorant about them (Aomine guessed the latter), Momoi sweetly said, "Right? I only choose the best outfits for you guys."

_Yeah right._

"Momoi-san, my nose is red," Kuroko pointed out, staring at his own reflection with bewilderment. A red ball surrounded his nose. The pink-haired girl had also placed a pair of antlers on him and coerced him to wear a reindeer outfit, thus finishing off a perfect lookalike to the famous red-nosed reindeer.

"Tetsu! You look like a perfect Rudolph!" Aomine marveled. As much as he was done with all of his childhood friend's tricks, he had to begrudgingly admit that he was impressed.

Midorima, on the other hand, remained unamused.

"The resemblance is so strong it's almost disconcerting. Remove that thing on your nose this instant, Kuroko."

"Don't remove the nose! Tetsu-kun looks so cute like this!" Momoi protested, gazing at the phantom player with bashfulness of a teenage girl. Midorima raised his hands, as if he was about to roll his eyes, but then put them down upon realisation that his mask was making it difficult for him to do so.

"Kuroko-cchi, we're the only two with special noses here!" Kise chipped in. He was clad with a white outfit dotted with a line of black buttons, but the most striking difference was his new carrot nose. Aomine almost slammed his head down due to the overwhelming laughter bubbling erupting inside him. Replacing his frustration was a strange gratefulness.

_At least, I'm not a recipient of those outfits._

"A-Ah! Murasakibara-cchi looks so much taller with that Scrooge hat!" Kise pointed out. The aforementioned purple-haired giant peered down at his teammates, the additional height of his hat looming over the others.

"Hah… I'm hungry. Where are the snacks, Sa-chin?" he idly asked. Momoi immediately addressed his needs, spreading a platter of snacks right beside the purple-haired guy. He smiled in contentment and proceeded to tear the wrappers often, indulging in the luxury of savoury goods.

_Is this guy really supposed to be Scrooge…?_

Just then, their captain joined the group, his robe a brilliant red. He donned the Santa Claus hat, emanating an air of confidence and benevolence.

"This is too much red. It's almost blinding," Aomine complained.

Disregarding the navy-haired player's opinion, Akashi smiled upon seeing his appearance in the mirror.

"This suits me very well. Thank you, Momoi."

Momoi puffed her chest out in delight. Her ego was no doubt being inflated. Aomine just hoped that this didn't mean that she was going to pull a trick like this again next Christmas.

"We must take a group picture after this!" Momoi eagerly proposed. Despite Midorima's vehement protests and Aomine's reluctance, they were cajoled by Kise and even Akashi to concede. And so, the picture of their ridiculous appearances was taken.

Later, it was Aomine's favourite time—the time for presents. Akashi was the most ideal Santa Claus, Kuroko was a saviour, Midorima was a lucky charm, Kise was a generous gifter, while Murasakibara was a food generator. Aomine, on the other hand, was not a very smart gifter. He just went into a shop, scanned the goods briefly, and chose whatever seemed to fit each person the most.

"Aomine-kun, where's my present?" Momoi demanded. He just shrugged.

"I went shopping with you. That's my present," he said matter-of-factly. If looks could kill, Momoi would have slaughtered him for the nth time in her life.

"That's not a proper present, Aomine-kun!" Momoi complained. She then proceeded to lecture him on how he shouldn't be lazy when it came to picking gifts for people. Frankly speaking, Aomine could barely care. There were many perks in having Momoi Satsuki as your childhood friend, but the biggest con of it all was that you had to put up with her endless nagging (well, and food poisoning).

"You didn't give me a present too," he lamented as well.

Ironically, Aomine dreaded Momoi's present the most, especially since she was being all secretive about his and the other guys' presents. Sure, she knew what he liked the most, but at the same time, her volatile nature made it difficult for him to predict the kinds of presents he was going to get. Last year, she gave him her homemade gingerbread cookies, and it coincidentally ended up being the worst Christmas of his life.

And his suspicions were confirmed when she began to initiate a ridiculous idea.

"Actually, I've been practicing on baking a Christmas cake all along. It's going to be my present for you guys!" she cheerfully said.

 _No. Oh no._  His worst fears had come true after all.

"N-No thanks. Take everything I said back. I don't need any present," he immediately refused the offer.

"But why? You wanted a present didn't you, Aomine-kun?"

That devilish and innocent grin of hers hinted at the sinister consequences of ever provoking her.

He could sense the death glares of his other companions. He looked up, holding his hands defensively.

"Mine-chin, you suck," Murasakibara explicitly said, aggressively chewing onto his sweets in a desperate attempt to forget about the impending doom ahead.

"I-It's not my fault!"

Nobody listened.

"Thank you for the effort, Momoi, but it's not necessary. You have spent a lot of energy organizing this party after all," Akashi smoothly said, a polite smile etched on his face.

_Thank you, Akashi. Man, you're the best captain ever. I can actually forget all the shit you've put me through in training._

Aomine silently thanked the red-haired captain with the most intensity he had ever done for the past two years. Unfortunately, the basketball team's wish was ungranted.

Momoi Satsuki continued to smile, a mischievous glint surfacing in her eyes.

"It's no problem, Akashi-kun! It won't be right for me to accept your presents and not give anything in return. Besides, it isn't a complete Christmas without a Christmas cake, right?" she sweetly suggested.

Akashi couldn't find a convincing enough excuse. Sure, he was a mighty captain, but even he couldn't evade the deception of the pink-haired manager.

The rest of the party ended with six guys collapsed in a heap and a giggling Momoi.

* * *

Aomine resolved he would never ever attend a Christmas party hosted by Momoi again.

The next year, she really didn't organise one. She didn't even ask him out.

And even though he should be happy about that, he was slightly irritated for the rest of Christmas day. In fact, he thought he might even prefer putting up with all of Momoi's nonsense than spending it alone, cooped in his room full of lewd magazines. It was a ridiculous thought, right? Why would he want to see her ugly face along with the rest of his teammates over Horikita Mai's body?

He didn't know why—his actions never bore logic to them, anyway.

Of course, he would never admit to all of that. His ego wouldn't allow it.  _The only one who can make me feel unhappy is me!_

The next year, after Winter Cup, she finally hosted one. He grumbled like he always did, but a strange sense of comfort took over his heart. It felt like things were right again.

With that, he thought that even if it was for the many years ahead, he guessed he could tolerate the incessant invitations of the pink-haired girl and the presence of his teammates on Christmas day. Those Christmas days wouldn't be terribly bad, he presumed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas gift everyone! We always see Momoi being so done with Aomine but I bet in his lazy perspective, he's also so done with her lmao. This wasn't originally an aomomo. It was meant to be an extra, but it somehow turned up aomomo, so yay for all those aomomo lovers xD Here's also my attempt with Aomine's POV. He's not a character I exactly excel in writing so I hope he didn't come off too OOC.


	7. Test Subject (muramomo)

**7\. Test Subject [friendship, crack, comedy, muramomo]**

* * *

_In which Momoi Satsuki has had a passion for cooking since she was young and aims to be a professional chef in future to the apprehension of everyone else around her._

* * *

"Murasakibara-kun, you seem to carry a packet of snacks with you everywhere you go," Momoi pointed out to the giant. It had been weeks since she had come to know of the purple-haired basketball player. With how he towered over everyone else (including herself), she found him pretty intimidating initially, but then she observed how he always had snacks with him. No one who loved food so much could be a bad person, she thought. Who knows? Maybe he was as big as a dork as Aomine was.

Murasakibara looked up slightly and nodded at the pinkette.

"I love snacks. Want some, Momo-chin?" he offered.

Momoi shook her head, pouting at the mention of that nickname.

"Don't call me Momo-chin! It sounds weird. Call me Satsuki or Momoi instead," she said. The purple-haired giant tilted his head questioningly.

"…Sa-chin?"

Momoi sighed in resignation.

"Ugh, never mind. Then, I'll call you Muk-kun, okay?"

The basketball player shrugged as he deposited a few potato chips into his mouth.

"Whatever."

As the pinkette watched him stuff his mouth with snacks, a scheming glint flashed across her eyes as she ran through a checklist in her head.

Food lover? Check. Big stomach? Check. Didn't-seem-like-he-would-kill-her-if-she-asked-him-a-favour? Well, she was a little dubious about the answer to that question, but she was inclined to believe so (after all, they did give each other nicknames, which meant they were in friendly terms, sort of).

That's it. Murasakibara would be her new test subject.

"Hey, Muk-kun. Do you want me to make you sweets every day?" she proposed, watching the giant's reaction carefully. The last time she asked Aomine, he flat-out refused and avoided the topic as if it was the plague every time they talked. Midorima just ignored her, and she didn't feel like asking Akashi. She didn't want to suffer his wrath should she serve food not up-to-par with the food his chef at home made.

As expected, the giant lit up at the mention of 'sweets'. He directed his gaze back to her for a moment.

"You will, Sa-chin?"

"Yeah! I really love making sweets, you see. I'll bring some tomorrow, okay?" she asked eagerly.

He nodded gleefully like an overenthusiastic puppy.

That's it. Murasakibara was officially her favourite basketball team member.

* * *

The next day, Momoi approached Murasakibara and offered him a box filled with small *anpan.

_*Anpan – Japanese sweet roll filled with red bean paste_

"Wow, they look pretty great. Sa-chin is an angel…" Murasakibara complimented, his mouth widening into a loopy grin. He immediately popped one of the anpans into his mouth, savouring the taste of the bread. Momoi giggled airily, fidgeting about in embarrassment.

"H-Hehe, it's nothing!"

_Finally, someone who appreciates my efforts in cooking!_

As soon as she said that, Murasakibara almost spat out the bread inside his mouth. His face soured instantly, the purple shade of his face mirroring the purple of his hair and eyes.

"Ugh…"

Momoi blinked.

"How does it taste, Muk-kun?" she asked, staring at Murasakibara with puppy eyes that craved acknowledgement. Murasakibara gaped at her, aghast.

"This is the  _worst_  thing I've ever tasted in my life. What did you put inside, Sa-chin?"

Momoi shuddered dramatically. It was as if a lightning bolt had struck her heart when Murasakibara uttered those harsh words. You see, cooking had been her lifetime passion (other than watching basketball and analysing the heck out of the players). The delight of being able to make food for the people she loved was simply incomparable with any other feeling she could have. At the same time, it had never really been her forte because it involved hands. And Momoi sucked at anything related to having use one's hands, which explains why she sucked at playing basketball despite being a genius analyst.

Nonetheless, she didn't think her cooking was  _that_  bad. It didn't really taste bad against her tastebuds, at least. Unless her tastebuds were as spoiled as her cooking…?

Well, that would explain a lot of things.

"I thought red bean would taste well with pickles," she lamented, wondering what exactly had gone wrong. The reason why she regarded cooking as her lifetime hobby was because it was unpredictable. She could make all sorts of combinations and derive an unusual taste out of them. It wasn't just cookie-cutter copying and pasting steps from the cookbook. Because of that, the results of her food could go pretty haywire sometimes.

Okay, scratch that. They could go pretty haywire often at times.

"…"

Murasakibara continued to gape at the pinkette like she was the more bizarre person he had come across in his whole life (that was saying a lot considering he himself was a snack-loving weirdo and he hung out with one Oha-Asa-obsessed dude, a perverted and basketball loving idiot and a seemingly-normal-but-actually-frightening redhead). For once, he was rendered utterly speechless.

"Sa-chin, you're an idiot," he finally concluded.

"Why?! I put so much effort into this!" Momoi whined, flailing her hands in desperation. She looked at the purple head with burning resolve, causing the giant to shrink back in uneasiness.

"Please, Muk-kun! Help me out! I want to improve my cooking skills! I really have a passion for this after all!" she pleaded, putting her hands together.

Murasakibara rubbed his eyes wearily. He didn't seem to be in the mood for her begging.

"But…"

Taking advantage of that moment of hesitation, Momoi unleashed her last weapon: bribery. Plus  _extremely_  huge puppy eyes and pouting.

"You have to help me! No one else will help me but you! Please? I'll buy you snacks every week! Please, Muk-kun!"

Murasakibara 'hmm'ed as he tapped his chin, probably debating between not getting food poisoning and filling his already huge stomach (plus getting the pinkette to shut up).

"…Okay. Just at least make it edible, Sa-chin. I don't want to die yet," he conceded, in the meantime drooling over the possible snacks he would ask the pinkette to buy for him later on. Momoi flashed a charming and perhaps overconfident smile after seeing that her strategy had succeeded.

"Of course! I can at least do that much, you know?"

Unfortunately, she was also incredibly skilled at overestimating herself a bit too much.

* * *

The next training, Momoi skipped to the purple-haired giant while holding onto a box of candied apples. Murasakibara scrutinised the box in suspicion before he took a small bite at one of them. He gagged in reflex.

"…What did you add in this this time, Sa-chin?" he questioned, eyes as dead as a fish's. Momoi smiled innocently.

"I added black pepper!" she brightly exclaimed. Murasakibara's purple irises narrowed dangerously, dampening her spirits slightly.

"Eh… H-Hehe…"

"Sa-chin, can't you make something normal?" he blurted out.

"Isn't that… normal? I mean, I could've added chilli-" she said, though that just caused Murasakibara to tremble. Seeing a guy in his 6 feet tremble was most probably the most ridiculous scene she had seen, and she didn't know if her being the cause of it all was supposed to be an assuring thought.

"…I don't need anything special. It just needs to be edible and sweet," Murasakibara muttered under his breath and grabbed his water bottle, rinsing his mouth with water.

Momoi's heart sank. Was her baking skills really  _that_  bad?

In a poor attempt to comfort herself, Momoi began making random assumptions of Murasakibara's likes and dislikes.

_Maybe Muk-kun isn't a fan of spices and pickles? I mean, they aren't really sweet…_

_Well, if that's the case, I'll just make the food super sweet!_

Like a lightbulb had just went off inside her, she exclaimed, "Okay!"

* * *

The next day, Momoi presented Murasakibara some *dango. It only took the giant a few bites before he collapsed onto the ground like a pile of potatoes.

"Muk-kun!" Momoi exclaimed, her eyes widening into saucers.

_*Dango – Japanese dumpling and sweet made from rice flour_

By the third day, the other regulars had already noticed the two's exchange of sweets. Needless to say, the purple-haired giant's gigantic fall had caused quite a stir among the others.

"Wow, Murasakibara has KO-ed! Good job, Satsuki!" Aomine laughed. Momoi shot him a death glare that screamed I'm-gonna-force-you-to-eat-my-food-later. Aomine shrunk out of uneasiness.

"No wonder Oha Asa has warned me to ignore Taurus's requests of all costs," Midorima plainly stated, nodding to himself with a subtle smug smirk. Momoi could only gawk at him. Did he cast her off as a safety hazard just because the horoscope told him so? Was that why he asked her for a zodiac sign?

Well, Midorima was so not her favourite basketball member (other than Aomine).

"…Momoi, did you cause this?" Akashi questioned.

"I-I didn't know this would happen! I only added a lot of sugar!" she protested.

Akashi sighed, massaging his temples.

"He should be fine after he recovers from his overdose of sugar. Stay with him for now, Momoi."

Leaving these words behind, Akashi left the gymnasium with Midorima and Ahomine in tow. Momoi blankly stared after their shadows.

_Okay, I know it's my fault, but seriously? Leaving me behind like that? W-What if something happens to Muk-kun? Ah, you stupid captain!_

She silently cursed the three traitors as she paced around the immobile figure anxiously, glancing at the figure from time to time. She could only thank her lucky stars that Murasakibara blearily opened his eyes a few minutes later, or she would drive herself crazy from the guilt.

"Muk-kun, are you okay?" Momoi asked, concerned.

"Too much sugar…" Murasakibara complained. Murasakibara, a sweets lover, complaining that there was too much sugar? Momoi didn't know if she should laugh for accomplishing such a miracle or cry at her absolute hopelessness with cooking.

"S-Sorry Muk-kun! I guess I'm not really talented in cooking after all…" she apologized, rubbing her head sheepishly. Murasakibara nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Sa-chin's cooking is terrible."

An arrow struck through her heart.

"H-How blunt!" she exclaimed.

Murasakibara shrugged as he continued, "I don't know why Sa-chin is doing something she's not good at."

Another arrow struck through her heart.

"Okay, you don't have to say that twice…" she mumbled, sulking.

"Oh well, Sa-chin is good the way Sa-chin is."

Momoi blinked, mouth shaping into a huge 'o'. Murasakibara pat her head, and despite looking as apathetic as ever, his eyebrows were furrowed. He actually appeared… slightly concerned? Was that his weird way of comforting her?

"Aww, Muk-kun… I'm  _so_  touched!" she shrieked, pouncing on the purple-haired giant.

"That's it! I'm gonna keep trying until I make the perfect sweet just for you!" she proclaimed. Murasakibara sweat-dropped.

"Eh…"

"I don't accept rejection as an answer, Muk-kun!"

And that was how Murasakibara became her favourite basketball member.

* * *

The just-recovered mammoth heaved a sigh. He found plenty of things bothersome, such as attending basketball training sessions and people scuttling under him like mice. However, he thought he would rank becoming Momoi's test subject as the most bothersome thing of them all.

Still, he got his weekly supply of snacks (which somewhat healed his stomach), so he didn't exactly mind. It would be most ideal if Momoi's cooking actually improved for once, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a funny idea I thought of since Momoi clearly loves cooking so much (even if she sucks at it) while Murasakibara is a sweet lover haha. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter ~u~ Also, school is starting soon for me so updates may be slower, but I'll keep writing for Momoi haha.


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